Movies like The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977)
The best movies like The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977) are Small Fry (2011), The Freshman (1990) and Mike's New Car (2002). If The Absent-Minded Waiter hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Wrong Trousers (1993)7.8/10 from 1,225 votes
- NewestGood Not Great (2026)Released 2026
Small Fry (2011)
A fast food restaurant mini variant of Buzz forcibly switches places with the real Buzz and his friends have to deal with the obnoxious impostor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Freshman (1990)
After a film student gets his belongings stolen, he meets a mobster bearing a startling resemblance to a certain cinematic godfather. Soon, he finds himself caught up in a caper involving endangered species and fine dining.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMike's New Car (2002)
Mike discovers that being the top-ranking laugh collector at Monsters, Inc. has its benefits – in particular, earning enough money to buy a six-wheel-drive car that's loaded with gadgets. That new-car smell doesn't last long enough, however, as Sulley jump-starts an ill-fated road test that teaches Mike the true meaning of buyer's remorse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFerdinand the Bull (1938)
This Oscar-winning short tells of a bull who preferred to sit under trees and smell flowers to clashing horns with his fellow animals. As luck would have it, an untimely bee reveals Ferdinand's ferocious side via pained howls and wild stomping. This lands him in the bull-fighting arena amidst characters based on Walt's animators with a matador reportedly modeled after Walt himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHammy's Boomerang Adventure (2006)
RJ the raccoon produces a nature video, which turns out to be an excuse for him and the porcupine children to play pranks on Hammy the squirrel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMower Minions (2016)
The Minions need to raise $20 to purchase an as seen on TV banana blender. So they take up lawn mowing at an old folks home, with hilarious antics!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAny Old Port! (1932)
Stan and Ollie check into a seedy hotel and help a young girl escape the clutches of the landlord. They are forced to flee the hotel with no money and Ollie arranges for Stan to fight at a local boxing hall for $50. Stan's opponent turns out to be Musgy who uses a loaded glove. During the fight the glove is swapped and Stan triumphs only to find that Ollie has bet their fee that he would lose.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSea Scouts (1939)
Donald is an admiral on a seagoing voyage with his nephews in which they encounter a ravenous shark.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPerfect Day (1929)
Two families embark on a pleasant Sunday picnic but manage to run into a variety of issues with their temperamental automobile. Each incident requires repeated exits and reboardings by Laurel, Hardy, their wives and grouchy, gout-ridden Uncle Edgar.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Ugly Duckling (1939)
An outcast duckling's search for a family to accept him leads to constant rejection before learning his true identity as a swan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThicker Than Water (1935)
Oliver's in trouble with his wife after missing a payment on their furniture, having given the money to Stanley, who used it instead to pay Mrs. Hardy for his room and board. At Stan's suggestion Ollie then withdraws the couple's savings from the bank to pay for the furniture and inadvertently pays virtually the whole amount at an auction for a grandfather clock which is soon crushed under a passing truck. Mrs Hardy then unintentionally causes serious injuries to Ollie requiring him to be rushed to hospital for a blood transfusion. The doctor conscripts Stan to be the unwilling blood donor. Problems occur with the transfusion and when Stan and Ollie leave the hospital they appear to have morphed into each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Knight for a Day (1946)
By accident, Cedric (Goofy), replaces his master, Sir Loinsteak, in the armor just before the joust with champion Sir Cumference.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScrat's Continental Crack-Up (2010)
You may think you know the history of continental drift, but forget all that. In pursuit of his most sought after possession, Scrat manges to singled-handedly alter the course of Earth’s history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSufferin' Cats! (1943)
Tom fights with another cat over Jerry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWho's Minding the Store? (1963)
Norman Phiffer, a proud man in a humble life, doesn't know that his girlfriend, Barbara, is heir to the Tuttle Department Store dynasty. Mrs. Tuttle, Barbara's mother, is determined to split the two lovers, and hires Norman in an attempt to humiliate him enough that Barbara leaves him. Will she ruin their love, or will he ruin her store?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScrat's Continental Crack-Up: Part 2 (2011)
This short film continues the adventures of the title character as he tries to retrieve his elusive acorn.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnaccustomed as We Are (1929)
Laurel and Hardy try to entertain a female neighbor, unbeknown to Hardy’s wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYour Friend the Rat (2007)
Let's face it, rats are not the most beloved creatures on earth. However, maybe this little tale about the history of human and rat interaction will change the world's tune. At least that is the hope of Remy, the star of Ratatouille, and his reluctant brother Emile as they guide us through world history from a rat's perspective. Why can't we all just get along?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHis Mouse Friday (1951)
Tom is shipwrecked on an island, which is inhabited by at least one mouse - Jerry. To thwart the hungry cat, Jerry disguises himself as a cannibal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCars Toon Mater's Tall Tales (2008)
Mater the tow truck travels from country to country as he retells his infamous but unbelievable stories.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGood Not Great (2026)
After a breakup sends him into a manic, drug-fueled spiral, a bipolar comedian from Queens lands in a psych ward for the eighth time, where therapy forces him to relive the delirious path that brought him there.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
French Kiss (2005)
"Deep shit : listen in life chance only comes once, unless you’re lucky : then it can come twice. But for you it will only come once. So, you must chat to Kate the Amercain, where is she ?"
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
9 (2009)
A group of people talk about very different subjects, including a strange course that one of them has just completed. There is tension in the air, although it is not quite clear why. They give the impression that they are killing time while waiting for a job that everyone needs for different reasons. Are they actors looking for a role?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Night Express (2003)
An extremely patient man shares a sleeping car on a overnight express train with a complete hypochondriac. Anxious for his berth mate to reveal any habits which might disturb his delicate sleep, the neurotic man subjects the other to an absurd interrogation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Pepper (2014)
The painful awakening of a couple after an evening of fantasies ...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
A Grand Day Out (1990)
Wallace and Gromit have run out of cheese, and this provides an excellent excuse for the duo to take their holiday to the moon, where, as everyone knows, there is ample cheese.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Wrong Trousers (1993)
Wallace rents out Gromit's former bedroom to a penguin, who takes up an interest in the techno trousers created by Wallace. However, Gromit later learns that the penguin is a wanted criminal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Close Shave (1996)
Wallace's whirlwind romance with the proprietor of the local wool shop puts his head in a spin, and Gromit is framed for sheep-rustling in a fiendish criminal plot.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFire (2011)
“There must be a different solution than the one from hell’. Full unadulterated terror (and music). 'The best class always ends with a lesson'. Almost baroque in its ambition and detail, Akerman and Seabra Lopes’ mesmerising short film delves deeply into the hard-wired dread of music lessons. Sewn around Schubert’s steely Opus 1, which is itself based on the no less terrifying legend of Goethe's Erlkönig, their film is a revelation.” International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Absent-Minded Waiter?
The closest matches to The Absent-Minded Waiter are Small Fry (2011), The Freshman (1990) and Mike's New Car (2002). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Absent-Minded Waiter?
Start with Small Fry (2011), the closest match to The Absent-Minded Waiter.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Absent-Minded Waiter?
The Wrong Trousers (1993), rated 7.8/10 by 1,225 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Absent-Minded Waiter?
Good Not Great (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Absent-Minded Waiter?
Yes: Small Fry (2011), The Freshman (1990) and Mike's New Car (2002).
How are movies similar to The Absent-Minded Waiter chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Absent-Minded Waiter, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.