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Movies like Old Man River (2026)

The best movies like Old Man River (2026) are The Last Movie Star (2018), Mississippi Masala (1991) and Around the Bend (2004). If Old Man River hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. The Last Movie Star (2018)

    An aging screen icon gets lured into accepting an award at a rinky-dink film festival in Nashville, Tenn., sending him on a hilarious fish-out-of-water adventure and an unexpectedly poignant journey into his past.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. Mississippi Masala (1991)

    Years after her Indian family was forced to flee their Uganda home, twentysomething Mina finds herself co-operating a motel in the faraway land of Mississippi. Her passionate romance with charming Black carpet cleaner Demetrius challenges the prejudices of their conservative families and exposes the rifts between the region's Indian and African-American communities.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. Around the Bend (2004)

    A tale of four generations of men, all of whom have had their offspring at a young age: a great-grandfather, a grandfather, a father in his twenties and a son who is about 7 years old. When the oldest member passes away, the trio heads out on the road together in the Southwest to search out an old family secret that connects to their past.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

  4. Wild River (1960)

    A young bureaucrat for the Tennessee Valley Authority goes to rural Tennessee to oversee the building of a dam. He encounters opposition from the local people, in particular a farmer who objects to his employment (with pay) of local black laborers. Much of the plot revolves around the eviction of a stubborn octogenarian from her home on an island in the river, and the young man's love affair with that woman's widowed granddaughter.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  5. Heart of Darkness (1994)

    A trading company manager travels up an African river to find a missing outpost head and discovers the depth of evil in humanity's soul.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

  6. Where the Red Fern Grows (2003)

    Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with "Old Dan" and "Little Ann."

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (1956)

    Davy Crockett and his sidekick Georgie compete against boastful Mike Fink ("King of the River") in a boat race to New Orleans. Later, Davy and Georgie, allied with Fink, battle a group of river pirates trying to pass themselves off as Native Americans.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. The Keys of the Kingdom (1944)

    A young priest, Father Chisholm is sent to China to establish a Catholic parish among the non-Christian Chinese. While his boyhood friend, also a priest, flourishes in his calling as a priest in a more Christian area of the world, Father Chisholm struggles. He encounters hostility, isolation, disease, poverty and a variety of set backs which humble him, but make him more determined than ever to succeed.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  9. The Brave Little Toaster (1987)

    A group of dated appliances, finding themselves stranded in a summer home that their family had just sold, decide to seek out their eight year old 'master'.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  10. The Last Bus (2021)

    Widower Tom, on the recent passing of his wife Mary, uses his free bus pass to travel the length of Britain from John O'Groats in Caithness to Land's End in Cornwall, their shared birthplace, using only local buses. It's an incident-fuelled nostalgia trip and his encounters with local people make him a media phenomenon. Tom is totally unaware and to his surprise on arrival at Land’s End he’s greeted as a celebrity.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. Take Me to the River (2015)

    A naive California teen plans to remain above the fray at his Nebraskan family reunion, but a strange encounter places him at the center of a long-buried family secret.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. The Rat Pack (1998)

    After a brief flash-forward to Frank Sinatra as an old man, saying "I miss my guys," the movie's main narrative begins during high points in the solo careers of the Rat Pack: Dean Martin has become a big success despite the breakup of his partnership with Jerry Lewis; Sinatra's career is at its peak; Sammy Davis, Jr., is making a comeback after a near fatal car crash, and standup comic Joey Bishop is gaining exposure as an opening act for the other three. The Pack becomes complete when Sinatra reconciles with actor Peter Lawford, who has been ostracized since being seen out publicly with Sinatra's ex-wife, Ava Gardner.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

  13. The Quiet Man (1952)

    An American man returns to the village of his birth in Ireland, where he finds love and conflict.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. The Radiator Springs 500½ (2014)

    A 'leisurely drive' planned in honor of Radiator Springs’ town founder, Stanley, turns precarious as Baja pros descend on the town and challenge Lightning McQueen to an off-road race. Meanwhile, the townsfolk, led by a Stanley-costumed Mater, enjoy the planned 'leisurely drive' to retrace Stanley’s original frontier route. Thinking they’re on the same course, a wrong turn sends McQueen and the Baja pros on a treacherously wild bid for survival. The misunderstanding leaves the racing professionals in awe of the 'legend' of Stanley: the Original Off-Road Racer.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll (2016)

    As Po looks for his lost action figures, the story of how the panda inadvertently helped create the Furious Five is told.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. A Love Song (2022)

    Two childhood sweethearts, now both widowed, share a night by a lake in the mountains.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

    Born under unusual circumstances, Benjamin Button springs into being as an elderly man in a New Orleans nursing home and ages in reverse. Twelve years after his birth, he meets Daisy, a child who flits in and out of his life as she grows up to be a dancer. Though he has all sorts of unusual adventures over the course of his life, it is his relationship with Daisy, and the hope that they will come together at the right time, that drives Benjamin forward.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. The Incredibles (2004)

    Bob Parr has given up his superhero days to log in time as an insurance adjuster and raise his three children with his formerly heroic wife in suburbia. But when he receives a mysterious assignment, it's time to get back into costume.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  19. The Ultimate Life (2013)

    Despite his best intentions, billionaire Jason Stevens can’t find enough time to keep his beloved Alexia a priority. But when he discovers his late grandfather’s journal, he is transported back to Red Stevens’ incredible world. With everything he loves hanging in the balance, Jason Stevens hopes the past will prepare him well for the future.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. The Fugitive Kind (1960)

    Val Xavier, a drifter of obscure origins, arrives at a small town and gets a job in a store run by Lady Torrence. Her husband, Jabe M. Torrance, is dying of cancer. Val is pursued by Carol Cutere, the enigmatic local tramp-of-good-family.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like Old Man River and something else?

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Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Old Man River?

The closest matches to Old Man River are The Last Movie Star (2018), Mississippi Masala (1991) and Around the Bend (2004). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Old Man River?

Start with The Last Movie Star (2018), the closest match to Old Man River.

What is the highest-rated movie like Old Man River?

The Incredibles (2004), rated 7.7/10 by 19,533 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Old Man River?

A Love Song (2022) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like Old Man River?

Yes: The Last Movie Star (2018), Mississippi Masala (1991) and Around the Bend (2004).

How are movies similar to Old Man River chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Old Man River, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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