Movies like No Holds Barred (1952)
The best movies like No Holds Barred (1952) are Thunderstruck (2012), No Time for Sergeants (1958) and I Love My Dad (2022). If No Holds Barred hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDiary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)6.3/10 from 1,860 votes
- NewestDriver's Ed (2026)Released 2026
Thunderstruck (2012)
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Time for Sergeants (1958)
Georgia farm boy Will Stockdale is about to bust with pride. He’s been drafted. Will’s ready. But is Uncle Sam ready for Will?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Love My Dad (2022)
A hopelessly estranged father catfishes his son in an attempt to reconnect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Air Up There (1994)
Jimmy Dolan is a college basketball coach who wants a big promotion. To get it, he needs to make a dramatic find. He ends up deep in Africa, hoping to recruit Saleh, a huge basketball prodigy Jimmy glimpsed in a home movie. But Saleh is the chief's son and has responsibilities at home, since the tribe's land is threatened by a mining company with its own hotshot basketball team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this29th Street (1991)
After winning $6.2 million in the 1976 New York State Lottery, he is arrested for throwing rocks at a church. He then tells his story at the police station.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWet Hot American Summer (2001)
It's the last day of Camp Firewood's season, but there's still time for the big talent show, a little romance… and for everyone to be wiped out by the piece of NASA's Skylab that's hurtling toward Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Eat Fried Worms (2006)
During the first day of his new school year, a fifth grade boy squares off against a bully and winds up accepting a dare that could change the balance of power within the class.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAdam Sandler: Love You (2024)
Adam Sandler hits the stage for a thrillingly unpredictable comedy special featuring songs, jokes, party-crashing dogs and plenty of love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnuvahood (2011)
Kenneth (who likes to call himself Kay) begins to realise he's just another wannabe bad boy... even less than a loser in fact. After quitting his job at Laimsbury's, Kay vows to become a respected gangster... or cry trying. A pulls-no-punches, coming-of-age story, centering on one directionless hopeless "shotter", who finds his true worth in the face of urban adversity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs (2023)
In a rowdy stand-up set, Shane Gillis riffs on his girlfriend's Navy SEAL ex, touring George Washington's house and being bullied by an Australian Goth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCadet Kelly (2002)
Hyperactive teenager Kelly is enrolled into a military school when her new stepfather becomes the Commandant. At first she has problems fitting in and taking orders until she tries out for the drill team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChris Rock: Kill the Messenger (2008)
An HBO special edited from three performances from Chris Rock's 2008 comedy tour: London (dark suit, dark shirt), Johannesburg (black suit, white shirt) and New York (shiny jacket). Topics include the ongoing presidential campaign, the possibility of a black president, George W. Bush, gas prices, low-paid jobs, ringtones and bottled water, sex, relationships and the correct use of the n-word
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDriver's Ed (2026)
A group of teens hit the road in a stolen driver's ed car, racing against time to help a lovesick high school senior track down his college-freshman girlfriend and win her back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDiary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)
Greg Heffley is headed for big things, but first he has to survive the scariest, most humiliating experience of any kid’s life – middle school! That won’t be easy, considering he’s surrounded by hairy-freckled morons, wedgie-loving bullies and a moldy slice of cheese with nuclear cooties!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)
86-year-old Irving Zisman is on a journey across America with the most unlikely companion: his 8 year-old grandson, Billy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMalibu Rescue: The Next Wave (2020)
It’s summer again, and everyone’s favorite Junior Rescuers, The Flounders, are back at Tower 2. With the International Junior Rescue Championships headed to Southern California, the eyes of the entire planet are on Malibu Beach. But when Team USA falls victim to a bout of food poisoning, it’s up to Tyler, Dylan, Eric, Lizzie and Gina to represent their country in the world's most extreme lifeguard challenge!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Roast of Tom Brady (2024)
Offensive lines. Full-contact comedy. Kevin Hart hosts this all-star roast of NFL legend Tom Brady.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ladies Man (1961)
After his girl leaves him for someone else, Herbert gets really depressed and starts searching for a job. He finally finds one in a big house which is inhabited by many, many women. Can he live in the same home with all these females?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRookie of the Year (1993)
When the cast comes off his once broken arm, a 12-year-old boy can throw a 100-mile-an-hour fastball, and the Chicago Cubs want him as their new pitcher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClass Rank (2017)
Two high school misfits join forces in an attempt to overtake the local school board. Guided by their families, they enter the perilous word of politics and, in the process, learn a thing or two about love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBowery Buckaroos (1947)
The Bowery Boys head west to clear Louie of an old murder charge that he had killed his gold-mine partner. Sach has the map to the gold mine painted on his back, and Blackjack McCoy has him kidnapped by Indian Joe. Gabe poses as a dangerous gunman, the Klondike Kid, while Slip is in charge of all the remaining loose ends.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters (1954)
Slip, Sach and the rest of the Bowery Boys enter a haunted house, where they engage in slapstick with a gorilla, a robot and a vampire
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
News Hounds (1947)
Slip and Sach are working for a local newspaper as a reporter and photographer, respectively. Slip wants to get the goods on a local gambling ring that is fixing sporting events, so he and Sach go undercover to expose the ring.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Jinx Money (1948)
A man wins $50,000 in a card game with gamblers, but is soon found dead and the money missing. Slip and Sach find the money near where the body was discovered, and soon find themselves the target of both the police and the gamblers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Bowery to Bagdad (1955)
The Bowery Boys find a lamp that has strange magic powers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Angels' Alley (1948)
Slip invites his cousin Jimmy to stay with his family after he is released from prison. However, Jimmy soon gets mixed up with an auto-theft ring.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Bowery Bombshell (1946)
Slip, Sach, Bobby, Whitey and Chuck unsuccessfully try to sell a dilapidated car to a street cleaner for a fabulous amount, so they can get enough money to save Louie's Malt Shop. Sidewalk photographer Cathy Smith snaps a pictures of three bank robbers as they are fleeing a robbery but when the Bowery Boys and Cathy realize that Sach is also in the photograph, they break into the photo lab to destroy the negative, which might make the police think Sach was involved in the robbery.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Dig That Uranium (1955)
The boys buy a uranium mine out west, but when they get there they find that it's pretty much worthless. However, the local badmen are distrustful of these new strangers, and when they mistakenly get the impression that the mine is loaded with uranium, they hatch a scheme to get rid of the boys and take over the mine.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
In Fast Company (1946)
The Bowery Boys come to the rescue when a corrupt taxi company puts the squeeze on several independent drivers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Jail Busters (1955)
Slip and Sach go to prison to help a reporter with a story.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like No Holds Barred?
The closest matches to No Holds Barred are Thunderstruck (2012), No Time for Sergeants (1958) and I Love My Dad (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after No Holds Barred?
Start with Thunderstruck (2012), the closest match to No Holds Barred.
What is the highest-rated movie like No Holds Barred?
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010), rated 6.3/10 by 1,860 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like No Holds Barred?
Driver's Ed (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like No Holds Barred?
Yes: Thunderstruck (2012), No Time for Sergeants (1958) and I Love My Dad (2022).
How are movies similar to No Holds Barred chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside No Holds Barred, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.