Movies like Tora-san's Cherished Mother (1969)
The best movies like Tora-san's Cherished Mother (1969) are Psychic Kusuo (2017), The Geisha Boy (1958) and Detroit Metal City (2008). If Tora-san's Cherished Mother hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedScooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword (2009)7.6/10 from 289 votes
- NewestDriver's Ed (2026)Released 2026
- In JapanesePsychic Kusuo (2017)Also in Japanese
Psychic Kusuo (2017)
Born a powerful psychic, high schooler Kusuo Saiki craves the simple life. But the weirdos in his class make it difficult to conceal his abilities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Geisha Boy (1958)
Gilbert Wooley is a second-rate magician who is sent to entertain the troops in the pacific. During his time in Japan he becomes attached to a little orphan boy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDetroit Metal City (2008)
Soichi Negishi moved to Tokyo to chase his dream of becoming a musician playing stylish, Swedish-style pop. Instead, he finds himself leading the death metal band Detroit Metal City, or DMC, as the costumed and grotesquely made-up "demon emperor" Johannes Krauser II. Although he hates the role and the things he has to do as a member of the band, he has a definite talent for it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHannibal Buress: Comedy Camisado (2016)
He's a kamikaze gambler. A one-arm cuddler. And if his fly is down, so be it. A night of sly riffs and slow burns.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisThe Fable (2019)
The Fable is a legendary yakuza hitman equal to none—but his boss orders him and his sultry associate to lay low and learn how to live a "normal life" in Osaka.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAfter the Ball (2015)
After the Ball, a retail fairy tale set in the world of fashion. Kate's dream is to design for couturier houses. Although she is a bright new talent, Kate can't get a job. No one trusts the daughter of Lee Kassell, a retail guru who markets clothes "inspired" by the very designers Kate wants to work for. Who wants a spy among the sequins and stilettos? Reluctantly, Kate joins the family business where she must navigate around her duplicitous stepmother and two wicked stepsisters. But with the help of a prince of a guy in the shoe department her godmother's vintage clothes and a shocking switch of identities, Kate exposes the evil trio, saves her father's company -- and proves that everyone can wear a fabulous dress.
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 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 thisGolden Slumber (2010)
When easy-going Aoyagi meets an old friend for a fishing trip, he ends up drugged, framed for the Prime Minister's assassination, and on the run from corrupt cops. It's only the beginning of what quickly becomes the worst, weirdest day of his life. But he'll get by with a little help from his friends, who include a famous pop diva, a rockabilly deliveryman, a crippled old gangster, and the world's most cheerful serial killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Bad Idea Gone Wrong (2017)
Two would-be thieves forge a surprising relationship with an unexpected housesitter when they accidentally trap themselves in a house they just broke into.
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
SnoozefestMovies like thisThunderstruck (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 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 thisBabes (2024)
After getting pregnant from a one-night stand, a single woman leans on her married best friend and mother of two to guide her through gestation and beyond.
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 thisShark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl (1999)
In dreamlike mountain scenery, Toshiko makes a daring escape from her sexually warped Uncle Sonezaki. Fortunately, she met Samehada as she runs for her life, which is also escaping from some slayers. What follows is a wild chase that leads the audience into a comically violent world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword (2009)
The Mystery Inc. gang takes a trip to Japan and finds themselves circling Asia and the Pacific in a treasure hunt, racing against the vengeful Black Samurai and his Ninja warriors to find the legendary Sword of Fate, an ancientblade fabled to possess extraordinary supernaturalpowers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisDave Chappelle: Killin' Them Softly (2000)
Dave Chappelle returns for a stand-up to D.C. and riffs on politics, police, race relations, drugs, Sesame Street and more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisTora-san's Pure Love (1976)
When Tora-san's infatuation with his nephew's school teacher causes family turmoil, he leaves on his travels again. When he returns, he falls in love with the teacher's mother.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Tora-san Meets His Lordship (1977)
Tora-san befriends the descendant of a feudal lord. The man asks Tora to locate his deceased son's wife who resides somewhere in Tokyo.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Tora-san Plays Cupid (1977)
Tora-san becomes friends with Toraya's newest tenant, a pachinko-playing electrician that goes by the nickname Watt. Tora attempts to match Watt with a young waitress.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Tora-san, My Uncle (1989)
Tora-san's nephew Mitsuo is exchanging letters with Izumi, a former classmate whose parents divorced and took her out of Tokyo.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Stage-Struck Tora-san (1978)
Tora-san leaves Shibamata once again after an argument with his family and finds himself at an inn where he meets Tomekichi, a young man who looks up to Tora-san.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Tora-san's Tropical Fever (1980)
When cabaret singer Lily writes Toraya about her illness, Tora-san rushes to Okinawa to be by her side.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Talk of the Town Tora-san (1978)
After a chance encounter with Hiroshi's father on a bus, Tora decides to get serious and reflect on the mortality of man. His plans are derailed when a beautiful lady starts working at Toraya.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Tora-san, the Matchmaker (1979)
Tora-san helps out a runaway bride.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Tora-san, the Intellectual (1975)
Tora-san is inspired to pursue an education after a visit to the grave of a woman he met years ago. When he returns to Shibamata with the intent to study, he falls for Toraya's new tenant instead.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Tora-san Makes Excuses (1992)
Tora befriends a pretty barbershop owner and runs into Izumi. When Tora twists his ankle, Mitsuo comes to care for him and see Izumi. Meanwhile, Izumi must choose between her new job in Tokyo and returning to Nagoya to care for her mother.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Tora-san's Cherished Mother?
The closest matches to Tora-san's Cherished Mother are Psychic Kusuo (2017), The Geisha Boy (1958) and Detroit Metal City (2008). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Tora-san's Cherished Mother?
Start with Psychic Kusuo (2017), the closest match to Tora-san's Cherished Mother.
What is the highest-rated movie like Tora-san's Cherished Mother?
Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword (2009), rated 7.6/10 by 289 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Tora-san's Cherished Mother?
Driver's Ed (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Tora-san's Cherished Mother?
Yes: Psychic Kusuo (2017), Detroit Metal City (2008) and The Fable (2019).
How are movies similar to Tora-san's Cherished Mother chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Tora-san's Cherished Mother, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.