Movies like A Successful Failure (1934)
The best movies like A Successful Failure (1934) are Taking Care of Business (1990), No Time for Sergeants (1958) and Much Ado About Nothing (2013). If A Successful Failure hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedTake the Money and Run (1969)7.1/10 from 815 votes
- NewestIn The Meantime (2026)Released 2026
Taking Care of Business (1990)
An uptight advertising exec has his entire life in a filofax organizer which mistakenly ends up in the hands of a friendly convict who poses as him.
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 thisMuch Ado About Nothing (2013)
A modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAdventures in Public School (2018)
A socially-awkward, home-schooled kid forces his way into public school against his suffocating, but loving, mother's wishes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Errand Boy (1961)
Paramutual Pictures wants to know where all the money is going so they hire Morty to be their spy. Morty works for Mr. Sneak and gets a job in the mail room so that he can have access to the lot. But all that Morty ever finds is that he can cause havoc no matter what he does.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmerican Dreamer (2022)
In this winsome comedy, an entitled Economics professor pursues a tactic to buy an ailing widow’s mansion for nothing, but he quickly realizes that his seemingly foolproof strategy won’t be as easy as he thought.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisJerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (2020)
Jerry Seinfeld takes the stage in New York and tackles talking vs. texting, bad buffets vs. so-called "great" restaurants and the magic of Pop Tarts.
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 thisPlaying with Fire (2019)
A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Trouble with Angels (1966)
Mary and her friend, Rachel, are new students at St. Francis Academy, a boarding school run by the iron fist of Mother Superior. The immature teens grow bored and begin playing pranks on both the unsuspecting nuns and their unpleasant classmates, becoming a constant thorn in Mother Superior's side. However, as the years pass, Mary and Rachel slowly mature and begin to see the nuns in a different light.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Bones (2001)
A medicine man is sent looking for the son of his tribal king, and brings back an American golfer and a host of goons intent on keeping him in the golf tournament.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Twelve Chairs (1970)
In 1920s Soviet Russia, a fallen aristocrat, a priest and a con artist search for a treasure of jewels hidden inside one of twelve dining chairs, lost during the revolution.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Big League (1994)
When the owner of the Minnesota Twins passes away, he bequeaths the team to his preteen grandson. The newly minted head honcho quickly appoints himself manager, causing unrest in an organization that struggles to take orders from a 12-year-old.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOh, God! (1977)
When God appears to an assistant grocery manager as a good natured old man, the Almighty selects him as his messenger for the modern world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSupport Your Local Gunfighter (1971)
A con artist arrives in a mining town controlled by two competing companies. Both companies think he's a famous gunfighter and try to hire him to drive the other out of town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisBeverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (2011)
Puppy mayhem turns the lives of newlywed Chihuahua parents Papi and Chloe upside down when their rambunctious, mischievous puppies present one challenge after another. But when their human owners end up in trouble, the tiny pups will stop at nothing to save them - because in good times and hard times, the family always sticks together. So Papi, Chloe and the puppies embark on a heroic adventure, proving once again that big heroes come in small packages.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisTake the Money and Run (1969)
Virgil Starkwell is intent on becoming a notorious bank robber. Unfortunately for Virgil and his not-so-budding career, he is completely incompetent.
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 thisIn The Meantime (2026)
A stressed film student waiting for his exam results shares an unexpected conversation with an older woman on a park bench that helps him see his future with a little more kindness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Conversations with Mother (2004)
Jaime has lost his job and has to provide for his wife, son and daughter. Pressured by this circumstances, he visits his mom, who lives in an apartment he owns, to ask her to move with him so he can sell the apartment. But she is not going to cooperate. And, to Jaime's surprise, she also has a boyfriend!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth: Operation Secret Birthday Surprise (1995)
Convinced his friends forgot his birthday, Timmy visits Mr. Wisdom and is shown what Flossmore Valley would be like if he wasn't around.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Big Parade (2021)
While a recently elected mayor prepares for her town’s annual parade, terrifying events begin to transpire.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Indisch für Anfänger (2011)
The well in a village near Mumbai has dried up. Geologist Sarah wants to get an auger. But it is stolen by the crook Oskar. Sarah finds out who is transporting the drill: trucker Max.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
El Largo Camino al Libro de la Sabiduria (2024)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Revenge (TBA)
A detective agency run by women helps others accusing their partners of betrayal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Wisdom Tree (1985)
A young woman looks after her aging grandmother to receive her wisdom.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Kernel (2013)
When the world has been pushed past breaking point, an aging neurobotanist collects and preserves what little of value remains.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A Successful Failure?
The closest matches to A Successful Failure are Taking Care of Business (1990), No Time for Sergeants (1958) and Much Ado About Nothing (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A Successful Failure?
Start with Taking Care of Business (1990), the closest match to A Successful Failure.
What is the highest-rated movie like A Successful Failure?
Take the Money and Run (1969), rated 7.1/10 by 815 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A Successful Failure?
In The Meantime (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like A Successful Failure?
Yes: Taking Care of Business (1990), No Time for Sergeants (1958) and Much Ado About Nothing (2013).
How are movies similar to A Successful Failure chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Successful Failure, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.