Movies like Joyful Youth (2007)
The best movies like Joyful Youth (2007) are Alex Strangelove (2018), The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005) and The Last American Virgin (1982). If Joyful Youth hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Basketball Diaries (1995)7.4/10 from 2,318 votes
- Newest72 HOURS (2026)Released 2026
Alex Strangelove (2018)
Alex Truelove is on a quest to lose his virginity, an event eagerly awaited by his patient girlfriend and cheered on with welcome advice by his rowdy friends. But Alex, a super gregarious dude, is oddly unmotivated. A magical house party throws Alex into the presence of Elliot, a hunky college guy, who pegs Alex as gay and flirts hard. Alex is taken aback but after a series of setbacks on the girlfriend front he takes the plunge and learns some interesting new facts about himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
Andy Stitzer has a pleasant life with a nice apartment and a job stamping invoices at an electronics store. But at age 40, there's one thing Andy hasn't done, and it's really bothering his sex-obsessed male co-workers: Andy is still a virgin. Determined to help Andy get laid, the guys make it their mission to de-virginize him. But it all seems hopeless until Andy meets small business owner Trish, a single mom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last American Virgin (1982)
The friendship of a group of young friends struggling with teen sex, drugs, and work is jeopardized by a romantic interest which may turn pals into bitter rivals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSex and the Teenage Mind (2002)
Bumbling high school geek Virgil Heitmeyer has yet to lose his virginity. A golden opportunity for finally getting deflowered arises after Virgil manages to get closer to the beautiful and popular Kellie Guthrie. Will Virgil's date with Kellie go smoothly? Or is Virgil going to blow his big chance to score with the girl of his dreams?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisI Love You, Beth Cooper (2009)
A valedictorian's declaration of love for a high-school cheerleader launches a night of revelry, reflection and romance for a group of graduating seniors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSex Drive (2008)
A high school senior drives cross-country with his best friends to hook up with a babe he met online.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSakar Şakir (1977)
Shakir, who lives in Kayseri, has a great legacy from his uncle who died in Istanbul. His uncle sends a telegram to Kayseri and dies before seeing Shakir, but a relative who does not want to share the legacy begins to make plans to eliminate him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAmerican Pie (1999)
At a high-school party, four friends find that losing their collective virginity isn't as easy as they had thought. But they still believe that they need to do so before college. To motivate themselves, they enter a pact to all "score" by their senior prom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClueless (1995)
Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school's pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other. Emboldened by her success, she decides to give hopelessly klutzy new student Tai a makeover. When Tai becomes more popular than she is, Cher realizes that her disapproving ex-stepbrother was right about how misguided she was -- and falls for him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
A group of Southern-California high school students ignore their studies in favor of indulging in their teenage distractions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Chaos Class Is Fretting Over (1979)
Lazy, uneducated students mostly coming from money, share a very close band. They live together in the dormitory of this private highschool, where they daily plan their latest pranks on teachers or the other classes. When one of the students get his girlfriend pregnant, the whole class acts together to help him. The mother has to leave the baby for a while with the father, and this leads to a series of funny events.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Brother the Devil (2012)
Fourteen-year-old Mo is a lonely, sensitive boy whose hunger for the rant and banter of buddies makes him prone to tread dangerous territories. He idolizes his handsome older brother, Rashid, a charismatic, well-respected member of a local gang, whose drug dealing enables “Rash” to provide for his family. Aching to be seen as a tough guy himself, Mo takes a job that unlocks a fateful turn of events and forces the brothers to confront their inner demons. It turns out that hate is easy. It is love and understanding that take real courage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this72 HOURS (2026)
To save his career, a 40-year-old ad exec joins a crew of twentysomethings for a wild Miami bachelor party after they mistakenly add him to a group chat.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Spectacular Now (2013)
Sutter, a popular party animal, unexpectedly meets the introverted Aimee after waking up on a stranger's lawn. As Sutter deals with the problems in his life and Aimee plans for her future beyond school, an unexpected romance blossoms between them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Basketball Diaries (1995)
A high school basketball player’s life turns upside down after free-falling into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnother Gay Movie (2006)
Andy is your typical All-American eighteen-year-old gay virgin. Like everyone else, he's dying to have sex. Totally out of the closet and mad-crazy horny, this naïve high school senior is caught in that awkward vortex between child and adult. Much to the dismay of his mom (who wonders why all her carrots and cucumbers keep disappearing), Andy spends much of his private time practicing for the big moment when he'll finally take the plunge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisLove & Basketball (2000)
Monica Wright and Quincy McCall grew up in the same neighborhood and have known each other since childhood. As they grow into adulthood, they fall in love, but they also share another all-consuming passion: basketball. As Quincy and Monica struggle to make their relationship work, they follow separate career paths though high school and college basketball and, they hope, into stardom in big-league professional ball.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBully (2001)
A group of teenagers in South Florida enact a murder plot against their mutual bully, Bobby, who has emotionally, physically, and sexually abused them for years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGeography Club (2013)
A coming-of-age movie that tells a story unfolding in every high school around the country -- a story of kids hiding their true identities in plain sight, even as they feverishly pursue their hearts' desires.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHair (1979)
Upon receiving his draft notice and leaving his family ranch in Oklahoma, Claude heads to New York and befriends a tribe of long-haired hippies on his way to boot camp.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Joyful Youth?
The closest matches to Joyful Youth are Alex Strangelove (2018), The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005) and The Last American Virgin (1982). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Joyful Youth?
Start with Alex Strangelove (2018), the closest match to Joyful Youth.
What is the highest-rated movie like Joyful Youth?
The Basketball Diaries (1995), rated 7.4/10 by 2,318 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Joyful Youth?
72 HOURS (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Joyful Youth chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Joyful Youth, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.