Movies like Happy Days (1979)
The best movies like Happy Days (1979) are The Vanishing (1993), Watch on the Rhine (1943) and Effie Gray (2014). If Happy Days hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCharm City Kings (2020)7.8/10 from 508 votes
- NewestBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)Released 2025
The Vanishing (1993)
The boyfriend of an abducted woman never gives up the search as the abductor looks on.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWatch on the Rhine (1943)
On the eve of World War II, the German Kurt Müller, his American-born wife Sara, and their three children, having lived in Europe for years, visit Sara's wealthy mother near Washington, DC. Kurt secretly works for the anti-Nazi resistance. A visiting Romanian count, becoming aware of this, seeks to blackmail him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEffie Gray (2014)
A look at the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Sell the Dead (2008)
18th century justice catches up with a pair of grave robbers. With only a few hours to go before his date with the guillotine, Arthur Blake tells his life story to Father Francis Duffy. Before long, Arthur spills the beans on how he got started in the grim corpse peddling business with seasoned ghoul Willie Grimes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisWhat Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
A by-the-book Captain is ordered to capture a strategic village in Italy. The Italian soldiers are willing to surrender, if they can have a festival first. The lieutenant convinces the Captain this is the only way. Because of aerial reconnaissance, they must look like they are fighting. To sort this out an intelligence officer is sent in. Meanwhile the festival gets complicated with the Mayors daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMickey's Tale of Two Witches (2021)
On Halloween, Mickey tells a tale of two witches-in-training, Minnie and Daisy, who must pass four tests to graduate from the With Academy in Happy Haunt Hills.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBreaking News in Yuba County (2021)
An overlooked pencil-pusher catches her husband in bed with another woman, the shock of which causes him to die of a heart attack. So she buries his body and takes advantage of the growing celebrity status that comes from having a missing husband. But she quickly finds herself in over her head, dodging cops and criminals, all while trying to keep the truth from her sister, a local news anchor who’s desperate for a story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisTwelfth Night (1996)
Shakespeare's comedy of gender confusion, in which a girl disguises herself as a man to be near the count she adores, only to be pursued by the woman he loves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhich Brings Me to You (2023)
Two romantic burnouts, Jane and Will, are immediately drawn to each other at a mutual friend’s wedding. After a disastrous hookup in the coatroom, the two spend the next 24 hours together, trading candid confessions of messy histories and heartbreak, on the off chance that this fling might be the real thing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)
Mia Thermopolis is now a college graduate and on her way to Genovia to take up her duties as princess. Accompanied by her friend Lilly, Mia continues her 'princess lessons', like riding horses side-saddle and archery. But her already complicated life is turned upside down once again when she learns that she is to take the crown as queen earlier than expected, all while she meets a mysteriously charming young man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlue Chips (1994)
Pete Bell, a college basketball coach is under a lot of pressure. His team isn't winning and he cannot attract new players. The stars of the future are secretly being paid by boosters. This practice is forbidden in the college game, but Pete is desperate and has pressures from all around.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBehold a Pale Horse (1964)
Manuel Artiguez, a famous bandit during the Spanish civil war, has lived in French exile for 20 years. When his mother is dying he considers visiting her secretly in his Spanish home town. But his biggest enemy, the Spanish police officer Vinolas, prepared a trap at the hospital as a chance to finally catch Artiguez.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn the Blood (2014)
When her husband goes missing during their Caribbean vacation, a woman sets off on her own to take down the men she thinks are responsible.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Secret of Santa Vittoria (1970)
During World War II, Italian villagers hide their wine from the German army.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)
Bridget Jones navigates life as a widow and single mum with the help of her family, friends, and former lover, Daniel. Back to work and on the apps, she's pursued by a younger man and maybe – just maybe – her son's science teacher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisApril Apocalypse (2013)
Artie is pure bred trailer trash. He has zero ambition, is everyone's favorite punching back at school and bears the burden of his virginity in silence. And then April moves out of the state. She's his best friend and support since kindergarten and the love of his life. Three years later Artie finally has the courage to take to the road and go see April to tell her how he feels about her. One car-crash later Artie wakes up in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. But this time he's not going to hide. Artie's love for April doesn't give him wings, but does give him the courage to hack, slash, punch and kick himself a part towards the girl he loves. Time is of the essence, because that bite on his hand will make the difference between a French kiss and a bite out of April's brains.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMemoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
After a freak accident, an invisible yuppie runs for his life from a treacherous CIA official while trying to cope with his new life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisCharm City Kings (2020)
Mouse desperately wants to join The Midnight Clique, the infamous Baltimore dirt bike riders who rule the summertime streets. When Midnight’s leader, Blax, takes 14-year-old Mouse under his wing, Mouse soon finds himself torn between the straight-and-narrow and a road filled with fast money and violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWinged Creatures (2009)
A psychotic man opens fire in a diner, murdering numerous people before killing himself. The survivors struggle in different ways following this horrendous event: a doctor doubts his own instincts and elects to use an experimental medical procedure on his wife, while a gambler believes he's on a lucky streak. A waitress begins engaging in promiscuous sex, and a young girl whose father is among the dead gains unexpected fame.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe One That Got Away (1957)
Based on the true story of Oberleutnant Franz von Werra, the only German prisoner of war captured in Britain to escape back to Germany during the Second World War.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Happy Days?
The closest matches to Happy Days are The Vanishing (1993), Watch on the Rhine (1943) and Effie Gray (2014). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Happy Days?
Start with The Vanishing (1993), the closest match to Happy Days.
What is the highest-rated movie like Happy Days?
Charm City Kings (2020), rated 7.8/10 by 508 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Happy Days?
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Happy Days?
Yes: The Vanishing (1993), Watch on the Rhine (1943) and Effie Gray (2014).
How are movies similar to Happy Days chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Happy Days, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.