Movies like If a Thousand Clarinets (1965)
The best movies like If a Thousand Clarinets (1965) are Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006), Babes in Toyland (1961) and Forbidden Zone (1982). If If a Thousand Clarinets hooked you with its comedy and music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks
- Highest ratedBo Burnham: Make Happy (2016)8.0/10 from 459 votes
- NewestSneakerella (2022)Released 2022
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006)
In Venice Beach, naive Midwesterner JB bonds with local slacker KG and they form the rock band Tenacious D. Setting out to become the world's greatest band is no easy feat, so they set out to steal what could be the answer to their prayers... a magical guitar pick housed in a rock-and-roll museum some 300 miles away.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBabes in Toyland (1961)
All roads lead to magical, merry Toyland as Mary Contrary and Tom Piper prepare for their wedding! But villainous Barnaby wants Mary for himself, so he kidnaps Tom, setting off a series of comic chases, searches, and double-crosses! The "March Of The Wooden Soldiers" helps put Barnaby in his place, and ensures a "happily ever after" for Tom and Mary!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisForbidden Zone (1982)
A mysterious door in the basement of the Hercules house leads to the Sixth Dimension by way of a gigantic set of intestine. When lovely exchange student Frenchy slips through the door, the diminuitive King Fausto falls in love with her. The jealous Queen Doris takes Frenchy prisoner, and it is up to the Hercules family and friend Squeezit Henderson to rescue her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire (2003)
The Yowie Yahoo starts kidnapping musicians at a concert attended by Scooby and the gang in Vampire Rock, Australia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnimal Crackers (1930)
The well-known explorer and hunter Captain Spaulding has just returned from Africa, and is being welcomed home with a lavish party at the estate of influential society matron Mrs. Rittenhouse when a valuable painting goes missing. The intrepid Captain Spaulding attempts to solve the crime with the help of his silly secretary Horatio Jamison, while sparring with the anarchic Signor Emanuel Ravelli and his nutty sidekick The Professor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978)
The story of the rise and fall of the Pre-Fab Four.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Big Store (1941)
A detective is hired to protect the life of a singer, who has recently inherited a department store, from the store's crooked manager.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGodspell (1973)
In modern-day New York City, John the Baptist calls out to a group of young men and women to learn from the teachings of Jesus. Through song and dance, they relive Christ's crucifixion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSteve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life (2018)
Comedians and writers Steve Martin and Martin Short perform a live comedy set with music by The Steep Canyon Rangers and jazz pianist, Jeff Babko, at the Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSneakerella (2022)
When El, an aspiring sneaker designer from Queens, meets Kira King, the fiercely independent daughter of legendary basketball star and sneaker tycoon Darius King, sparks fly as the two bond over their mutual affinity for sneakers. With a little nudge from his best friend and a sprinkle of Fairy Godfather magic, El finds the courage to use his talent to pursue his dream of becoming a ‘legit’ sneaker designer in the industry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisUglyDolls (2019)
In the adorably different town of Uglyville, weirdness is celebrated, strangeness is special and beauty is embraced as more than meets the eye. After traveling to the other side of a mountain, Moxy and her UglyDoll friends discover Perfection -- a town where more conventional dolls receive training before entering the real world to find the love of a child.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Song Is Born (1948)
The story of seven scholars in search of an expert to teach them about swing music. They seem to have found the perfect candidate in winsome nightclub singer Honey Swanson. But Honey's gangster boyfriend doesn't want to give her up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHelp! (1965)
An obscure Eastern cult that practices human sacrifice pursues Ringo after he unknowingly puts on a ceremonial ring (that, of course, won't come off). On top of that, a pair of mad scientists, members of Scotland Yard, and a beautiful but dead-eyed assassin all have their own plans for the Fab Four.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Loud House Movie (2021)
The Loud family travel to Scotland and discover they are descendants of Scottish royalty as they move into their giant ancestral castle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZiegfeld Follies (1945)
The late, great impresario Florenz Ziegfeld looks down from heaven and ordains a new revue in his grand old style.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReefer Madness: The Movie Musical (2006)
From an ominous Lecturer, a small 1930s middle American community learns of the Harper Affair, in which young Jimmy Harper finds his life of promise turn into a life of debauchery and murder thanks to the new drug menace marijuana. Along the way, he receives help from his girlfriend Mary and Jesus Himself, but always finds himself in the arms of the Reefer Man and the rest of the denizens of the Reefer Den.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBuck Privates (1941)
Petty con artists Slicker Smith and Herbie Brown mistakenly join the Army evading the cops. The cop chasing them winds up as their drill instructor. A rich young man and his former working class chauffeur are not only in the same unit, they're vying for a pretty girl who seems attracted to both.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Night at the Opera (1935)
The Marx Brothers take on high society and the opera world to bring two lovers together. A sly business manager and two wacky friends of two opera singers help them achieve success while humiliating their stuffy and snobbish enemies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBo Burnham: Make Happy (2016)
Combining his trademark wit and self-deprecating humor with original music, Bo Burnham offers up his unique twist on life in this stand-up special about life, death, sexuality, hypocrisy, mental illness and Pringles cans.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisArlo the Alligator Boy (2021)
Upon learning that he is from New York City, a wide-eyed boy, who is half human and half alligator, decides to leave his sheltered life in the swamp and search for his long lost father. A musical adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBilly Rose's Jumbo (1962)
The daughter of a circus owner fights to save her father from a takeover spearheaded by the man she loves.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & music
Playboy of Paris (1930)
Yvonne, daughter of Philibert, a Paris cafe owner, is in love with dreamy, blundering Albert, a waiter, though he pays little attention to her. Philibert plans to marry his daughter to a wealthy Parisian, but upon learning that Albert is to come into a large inheritance, he conspires to place him under a longterm contract, confident that he willingly will pay a forfeit to break it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)
The buoyant Molly Brown has survived the first crisis of her life—a flood. Sixteen years later she sets out to make her way in the world. She assures the Leadville saloon keeper that she can sing and play the piano, and learns quickly. Soon she marries Johnny Brown, who in a few years will be able to replace the original cigar wrapper wedding ring with a replica in gold and gemstones. The Browns head for Europe and bring a few crowned heads back to Denver for a party that turns into a ballroom brawl. Molly goes to Europe alone, returning on the Titanic. She didn't survive a flood as a baby for the story to end here.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisOh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feeling So Sad (1967)
A woman brings her son and husband to a tropical vacation spot for a little rest and relaxation. The only problem is that the husband has been dead for quite some time, and his wife had him stuffed and carries him everywhere with her. Complications ensue.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Poslední leč (1982)
Just like every year, Dr. Burke comes to visit the old man who is being cared for by his nurse Dobruše. In a small, not very cosy room, the two friends have incredible adventures in which, thanks to their imagination, the most ordinary things change their function, fantasies become reality and a crazy world is created in which everything is possible. This experimental film, which is essentially a game within a game, completely breaks away from the usual standard of Barrandov productions and has rightly caught the attention of critics and insider viewers alike.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Ninette and a Gentleman from Murcia (1966)
Murcia, Spain. Andrés, a bland merchant, owner of a bookshop, decides to take a trip to Paris, where his friend Armando lives.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Sweet Charity (1969)
Taxi dancer Charity continues to have faith in the human race despite apparently endless disappointments at its hands, and hope that she will finally meet the nice young man to romance her away from her sleazy life. Maybe, just maybe, handsome Oscar will be the one to do it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFinian's Rainbow (1968)
An Irishman and his daughter arrive in the American South with a stolen pot of gold, hoping to make their fortune. Pursued by a leprechaun desperate to recover his treasure, they become entangled in a battle over land, love, and prejudice in Rainbow Valley—where the gold’s magic turns wishes, and lives, upside down.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisPlaza Suite (1971)
Film version of the Neil Simon play has three separate acts set in the same hotel suite in New York's Plaza Hotel with Walter Matthau in a triple role. In the first, Karen Nash tries to get her inattentive husband Sam's attention and help save their failing marriage. In the second, brash film producer Jesse Kiplinger tries to seduce his former one-time flame Muriel. In the third, Roy Hubley and his wife Norma try and persuade their daughter, a bride to-be with cold feet, out of the bathroom before her approaching wedding ceremony.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLast of the Red Hot Lovers (1972)
A middle aged restaurateur begins to feel the desire to roam and realizes that one day each week, his mother's apartment will be empty all afternoon. He makes several attempts at seduction, only to learn that it is much more complicated and difficult than he could have imagined.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Like If a Thousand Clarinets and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like If a Thousand Clarinets?
The closest matches to If a Thousand Clarinets are Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006), Babes in Toyland (1961) and Forbidden Zone (1982). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after If a Thousand Clarinets?
Start with Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006), the closest match to If a Thousand Clarinets.
What is the highest-rated movie like If a Thousand Clarinets?
Bo Burnham: Make Happy (2016), rated 8.0/10 by 459 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like If a Thousand Clarinets?
Sneakerella (2022) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to If a Thousand Clarinets chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside If a Thousand Clarinets, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.





























