Movies like The Big Bus (1976)
The best movies like The Big Bus (1976) are Hot Shots! (1991), Nothing to Lose (1997) and Smokey and the Bandit (1977). If The Big Bus hooked you with its action and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAirplane! (1980)7.3/10 from 5,356 votes
- NewestNirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (2026)Released 2026
Hot Shots! (1991)
The gang that created Airplane! and The Naked Gun sets its sights on Top Gun in this spoof. Topper Harley is a talented but unstable fighter pilot with an axe to grind: clearing the family name. His mission is to avenge his father and save a mission sabotaged by greedy weapons manufacturers. He also gets involved in a relationship with Ramada Thompson, a woman with an unusually talented stomach. Hot Shots! makes fun of a variety of other films, from Dances with Wolves to The Fabulous Baker Boys.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNothing to Lose (1997)
Advertising executive Nick Beame learns that his wife is sleeping with his employer. In a state of despair, he encounters a bumbling thief whose attempted carjacking goes awry when Nick takes him on an involuntary joyride. Soon the betrayed businessman and the incompetent crook strike up a partnership and develop a robbery-revenge scheme. But it turns out that some other criminals in the area don't appreciate the competition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSmokey and the Bandit (1977)
A race car driver tries to transport an illegal beer shipment from Texas to Atlanta in under 28 hours, picking up a reluctant bride-to-be on the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWild Hogs (2007)
Restless and ready for an adventure, four suburban bikers leave the safety of their subdivision and head out on the open road. But complications ensue when they cross paths with an intimidating band of New Mexico bikers known as the Del Fuegos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Naked Gun (2025)
Only one man has the particular set of skills... to lead Police Squad and save the world: Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. Following in his father's footsteps, he must solve a murder case to prevent Police Squad from closure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDouble Threat (2022)
With ruthless mobsters on her tail, a young woman with a split personality becomes entangled with a man on a pilgrimage across the country to scatter his brother's ashes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (2026)
When their plan to book a show at the Rivoli goes horribly wrong, Matt and Jay accidentally travel back to the year 2008.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAirplane! (1980)
An ex-fighter pilot is forced to take over the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Cheap Detective (1978)
A spoof of the entire 1940s detective genre. San Francisco private detective, Lou Pekinpaugh is accused of murdering his partner at the instigation of his mistress—his partner's wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSextuplets (2019)
Father-to-be Alan is shocked to learn that he was born a sextuplet. With his newfound brother Russell riding shotgun, the duo sets out on a hilarious journey to reunite with their remaining long-lost siblings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHigh Anxiety (1977)
A psychiatrist with intense acrophobia (fear of heights) goes to work for a mental institution run by doctors who appear to be crazier than their patients, and have secrets that they are willing to commit murder to keep.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRat Race (2001)
In an ensemble film about easy money, greed, manipulation and bad driving, a Las Vegas casino tycoon entertains his wealthiest high rollers -- a group that will bet on anything -- by pitting six ordinary people against each other in a wild dash for $2 million jammed into a locker hundreds of miles away. The tycoon and his wealthy friends monitor each racer's every move to keep track of their favorites. The only rule in this race is that there are no rules.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHollywood or Bust (1956)
The last movie with Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin together, is a satire of the life in Hollywood. Steve Wiley is a deceiver who cheats Malcolm Smith when he wins a car, claiming that he won it too. Trying to steal the car, Steve tells Malcolm that he lives in Hollywood, next to Anita Ekberg's. When Malcom hears that, they both set out for Hollywood and the adventure begins...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisProblem Child 2 (1991)
Junior and his father, Ben, move from Cold River to Mortville. Junior becomes threatened by Ben's desire to date again and find a new mother for Junior, and sabotages each of his dates.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNaked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994)
Frank Drebin is persuaded out of retirement to go undercover in a state prison. There he has to find out what top terrorist, Rocco, has planned for when he escapes. Adding to his problems, Frank's wife, Jane, is desperate for a baby.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBig Trouble (2002)
The story of how a mysterious suitcase brings together, and changes, the lives of a divorced dad, an unhappy housewife, two hitmen, a pair of street thugs, two love struck teens, two FBI men and a psychedelic toad. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry's best-selling first novel, "Big Trouble."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGabriel Iglesias: I'm Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry (2016)
Hawaiian-shirt enthusiast Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias finds the laughs in racist gift baskets, Prius-driving cops and all-female taco trucks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKevin Hart: I'm a Grown Little Man (2009)
Fresh off the heels of appearing in movies like Superhero Movie and The 40 Year-Old Virgin, fast-talking comedian Kevin Hart stars in this live stand-up performance where he makes fun of everything and everybody - especially himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 thisThe Kung Fu Mummy (2005)
It's a comedy of time-bending proportions when a mummy from ancient Peru is set loose on the streets of modern-day Hollywood with $200 million in rare jewels stuffed inside of him. Of course, it doesn't take long for every crook in town to catch wind of the mummy's hidden riches, setting off a chain reaction of trickery and tomfoolery. Director Randy Morgan also wrote the screenplay for this blend of experimental comedy and B-movie camp.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & action
Caracas Vice Vol. 2 (2017)
Ryan of the DEA will face again the most dangerous drug lord of Venezuela, this time with new friends, in 1983.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & comedy
The Navigator (1924)
The wealthy and impulsive Rollo Treadway decides to propose to his beautiful socialite neighbor, Betsy O'Brien. Although Betsy turns Rollo down, he still opts to go on the cruise that he intended as their honeymoon. When circumstances find both Rollo and Betsy on the wrong ship, they end up having adventures on the high seas.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMars Attacks! (1996)
A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler that the Martians' mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArmageddon (1998)
When an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, NASA honcho Dan Truman determines the only way to stop it is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear bomb. This leads him to renowned driller Harry Stamper, who agrees to helm the dangerous space mission provided he can bring along his own hotshot crew. Among them is the cocksure A.J. who Harry thinks isn't good enough for his daughter, until the mission proves otherwise.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCannes Man (1996)
Film producer Sy Lerner makes a bet with a fellow film executive that he can turn any nobody into a star at the Cannes Film Festival. A New York cab driver who is visiting the festival is chosen as the test subject to settle the bet and Sy uses his skills of hype and manipulation to try and turn the cab driver named Frank into the talk of the town. Many celebrities make cameos throughout the film.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Out Of Order (1916)
Musty is standing around in a state of confusion, so his fairy godfather appears to find him a job as a general factotum at an amusement gallery. Musty serves as a bootblack, a ticket-taker, a target at the shooting gallery and a rope to block off a non-working escalator.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Eat Our Shorts 2! (2017)
What happens when a director and his six friends come up with stupid ideas again? They become even stupider shorts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The SuperVips (1968)
A satire of modern society or perhaps just a funny tale for children, depending on your age, mood or liking. Recounting the adventures of the last in a line of Supermen, the film pokes fun at the processes that lie behind advertising, politics and our consumer society.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Big Bus?
The closest matches to The Big Bus are Hot Shots! (1991), Nothing to Lose (1997) and Smokey and the Bandit (1977). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Big Bus?
Start with Hot Shots! (1991), the closest match to The Big Bus.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Big Bus?
Airplane! (1980), rated 7.3/10 by 5,356 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Big Bus?
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Big Bus?
Yes: Hot Shots! (1991), Nothing to Lose (1997) and Smokey and the Bandit (1977).
How are movies similar to The Big Bus chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Big Bus, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.