Movies like The Life of Riley (1949)
The best movies like The Life of Riley (1949) are Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), No Time for Sergeants (1958) and Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (2020). If The Life of Riley hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks
- Highest ratedLouis C.K.: Hilarious (2010)7.8/10 from 321 votes
- NewestJimmy O. Yang: Good Deal (2020)Released 2020
Fun with Dick and Jane (1977)
When an upwardly mobile couple find themselves unemployed and in debt, they turn to armed robbery in desperation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Time for Sergeants (1958)
Georgia farm boy Will Stockdale is about to bust with pride. He’s been drafted. Will’s ready. But is Uncle Sam ready for Will?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (2020)
Jerry Seinfeld takes the stage in New York and tackles talking vs. texting, bad buffets vs. so-called "great" restaurants and the magic of Pop Tarts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrailer Park Boys: Don't Legalize It (2014)
Out of jail and broke, Julian concocts an outrageously greasy scheme to get rich and, to make it even greasier, he will have to deliver his product to his arch-enemy, Cyrus, who’s waiting in Montreal to close the dirty deal. Meanwhile, Ricky’s dope growing business is under a major threat when the government announces a plan to legalize marijuana. Bubbles reluctantly joins them on his own quest to claim an inheritance left to him by his long-lost parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNate Bargatze: The Tennessee Kid (2019)
Comic Nate Bargatze touches on air travel, cheap weddings, college football, chocolate milk and the perils of ordering coffee in this stand-up special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain (2011)
Experience the show that quickly became a national phenomenon. Get an up-close and personal look at Kevin back in Philly where he began his journey to become one of the funniest comedians of all time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJimmy O. Yang: Good Deal (2020)
In his debut standup special, Good Deal, Jimmy will tell you all about his take on Asian representation, how he learned to speak English from rap videos, dating tall women, and pursuing his dreams only to disappoint his old school Chinese parents. From assimilation to representation, Jimmy O. Yang delivers an absolutely hilarious hour of comedy in Good Deal.
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 thisChris Rock: Tamborine (2018)
Chris Rock takes the stage for his first comedy special in 10 years, filled with searing observations on fatherhood, infidelity and American politics.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLouis C.K.: Hilarious (2010)
In this unique and dynamic live concert experience, Louis C.K.'s exploration of life after 40 destroys politically correct images of modern life with thoughts we have all had...but would rarely admit to.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRay Romano: Right Here, Around the Corner (2019)
Ray Romano first cut his stand-up teeth at the Comedy Cellar in New York. Now, in his first comedy special in 23 years, he returns to where it all began.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Flintstones Christmas Carol (1994)
Fred is cast as Ebenezer Scrooge in a stage adaption of the classic Christmas story, but is acting a bit stingy in real life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mouse That Roared (1959)
The Duchy of Grand Fenwick decides that the only way to get out of their economic woes is to declare war on the United States, lose and accept foreign aid. They send an invasion force (in chain mail, armed with bows and arrows) to New York and they arrive during a nuclear drill that has cleared the streets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFun with Dick and Jane (2005)
After Dick Harper loses his job at Globodyne in an Enron-esque collapse, he and his wife, Jane, turn to crime in order to handle the massive debt they now face. Two intelligent people, Dick and Jane actually get pretty good at robbing people and even enjoy it – but they have second thoughts when they're reminded that crime can hurt innocent people. When the couple hears that Globodyne boss Jack McCallister actually swindled the company, they plot revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMuch Ado About Nothing (2013)
A modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisLouis C.K.: Live at The Comedy Store (2015)
This material was developed and prepared over the last year or so, mostly in comedy clubs. This special kind of goes back to when he used to just make noises and be funny for no particular reason. It felt right to him to shoot this special in a club to give it that live immediate intimate feeling. The show is about an hour long. The opening act, who is seen at the beginning (good place for an opening act) is Jay London. One of his favorite club comics going way back to the late 80s when he first started in working in New York.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWrong Cops (2013)
A group of bad cops look to dispose of a body that one of them accidentally shot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMerry Christmas, Drake & Josh (2008)
Step brothers Drake and Josh must give a foster family the best Christmas ever or face years in jail for a Christmas party gone wrong.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBo Burnham: What. (2013)
Left brain and right brain duke it out and then belt out a tune in comedian Bo Burnham's quick and clever one-man show. As intelligent as he is lanky, Burnham cynically pokes at pop entertainment while offering unadulterated showmanship of his own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDedinský sen (1984)
An old woman dreams her last dream in the house where she has lived all her life, but now she has to leave it. Divided into five separate, internally coherent parts, the story recapitulates her life while remaining a universal final recapitulation of each individual's life. Its wit is primarily based on the charm of its specific verbal expression with original slang expressions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
A New Boy Started Today (1981)
In his feature debut, Dneska přišel nový kluk (A New Boy Started Today) from 1981, the director Vladimír Drha set the tone for a number of Czech films, which critically depicted the state of society from the perspective of young protagonists. Although, Drha primarily found scope for his work in television, he returned to the world of a “working youth” in his second film Mezek (The Mulish Victor, 1985) – albeit following him from the point of view of an educator. NFA.CZ
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Za pět minut sedm (1965)
A modern fairy tale that takes place in the present.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Black Saturday (1961)
In this crime story, surprisingly, neither the all-powerful criminals nor the spies or saboteurs are pursued, as was once common. The plot is almost mundane: someone unwittingly siphoned off alcohol from a tanker, unaware that it was deadly methyl alcohol, intended for industrial use. Finding out where the poison has been transported and which people it endangers requires painstaking work.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Killing the Devil (1970)
A lonely woman gets more than she bargained for when she begins wooing Mr Devil, an insatiable glutton who turns out to be the boyfriend from Hell.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Signé Furax (1981)
The notorious and mysterious criminal Furax steals France's famous monuments, replacing them with replicas.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Magical River (1946)
Leopold Kohák married a rich widow a long time ago and now has nothing to do compared to his energetic wife. He's growing old and troubled by the fact that he betrayed his first love Emča and his beloved river Sázava where he spent his childhood and youth. A visit from an old friend Lebeda brings it all back to him. After a nervous breakdown Leopold secretly visits his home instead of going to the spa. A wandering tramp suggest Leopold should bathe in the magical waters of the Sázava, and slowly his youth returns to him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Like The Life of Riley and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Life of Riley?
The closest matches to The Life of Riley are Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), No Time for Sergeants (1958) and Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Life of Riley?
Start with Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), the closest match to The Life of Riley.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Life of Riley?
Louis C.K.: Hilarious (2010), rated 7.8/10 by 321 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Life of Riley?
Jimmy O. Yang: Good Deal (2020) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Life of Riley?
Yes: Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), No Time for Sergeants (1958) and Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (2020).
How are movies similar to The Life of Riley chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Life of Riley, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

























