Movies like True Stories (1986)
The best movies like True Stories (1986) are Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), A Day at the Races (1937) and Bye Bye Birdie (1963). If True Stories 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 ratedScooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown (2017)7.7/10 from 209 votes
- NewestRedwood Diaries (2026)Released 2026
Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979)
A group of rock-music-loving students, with the help of the Ramones, take over their school to combat its newly installed oppressive administration.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Day at the Races (1937)
Doctor Hugo Hackenbush, Tony, and Stuffy try and save Judy's sanitarium by winning a big race with a finicky horse owned by Judy's boyfriend Gil. There are a few problems. Hackenbush, who was recently put in charge of the sanitarium, isn't really a doctor, he's a veterinarian.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBye Bye Birdie (1963)
A singer goes to a small town for a performance before he is drafted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisGuava Island (2019)
Deni Maroon, a musician and dock worker is determined to pull off a music festival against the interests of the local factory owner.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJosie and the Pussycats (2001)
Josie, Melody and Val are three small-town girl musicians determined to take their rock band out of their garage and straight to the top, while remaining true to their look, style and sound. They get a record deal which brings fame and fortune but soon realize they are pawns of two people who want to control the youth of America. They must clear their names, even if it means losing fame and fortune.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisBack to the Beach (1987)
A former beach boy and his wife go to California to visit their daughter and become part of the new beach scene.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisJohn Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (2019)
John Mulaney and his kid pals tackle existential topics for all ages with catchy songs, comedy sketches and special guests in a nostalgic variety special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Muppets (2011)
When Kermit the Frog and the Muppets learn that their beloved theater is slated for demolition, a sympathetic human, Gary, and his felt-faced brother, Walter, swoop in to help the gang put on a telethon show and raise the $10 million they need to save the day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOh! What a Lovely War (1969)
The working-class Smiths change their initially sunny views on World War I after the five boys of the family witness the harsh reality of trench warfare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLeningrad Cowboys Meet Moses (1994)
After years of fame and misfortune in Mexico, the members of the Leningrad Cowboys decide to return to their native village. Their former manager Vladimir, who now calls himself Moses lead them on their way home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisScooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown (2017)
When the Scooby gang visits a dude ranch, they discover that it and the nearby town have been haunted by a ghostly cowboy, Dapper Jack, who fires real fire from his fire irons. The mystery only deepens when it’s discovered that the ghost is also the long lost relative of Shaggy Rogers!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhat Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
A by-the-book Captain is ordered to capture a strategic village in Italy. The Italian soldiers are willing to surrender, if they can have a festival first. The lieutenant convinces the Captain this is the only way. Because of aerial reconnaissance, they must look like they are fighting. To sort this out an intelligence officer is sent in. Meanwhile the festival gets complicated with the Mayors daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisShoulder Arms (1918)
An American doughboy, stationed in France during the Great War, goes on a daring mission behind enemy lines and becomes a hero.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLEGO Marvel Avengers: Mission Demolition (2024)
A young, aspiring hero and superhero fan inadvertently unleashes a powerful new villain looking to rid the world of the Avengers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSt. Vincent (2014)
A young boy whose parents just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic, war veteran who lives next door.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHot Shots! Part Deux (1993)
Topper Harley is found to be working as an odd-job-man in a monastery. The CIA want him to lead a rescue mission into Iraq, to rescue the last rescue team, who went in to rescue the last rescue team—who went in to rescue hostages left behind after Desert Storm.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIliza Shlesinger: War Paint (2013)
Her innocent appearance is just a cover for Last Comic Standing winner Iliza Shlesinger's acerbic, stream-of-conscious comedy that she unleashes on an unsuspecting audience in her hometown of Dallas in "War Paint," her first stand-up special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRedwood Diaries (2026)
When strange entries begin appearing in her diary written in handwriting that isn't hers, new student Evie Quinn is pulled into a chilling mystery as the messages reveal secrets, predict impossible events, and point toward a truth someone has desperately tried to bury.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
All About My Mother (1999)
Following the tragic death of her teenage son, Manuela travels from Madrid to Barcelona in an attempt to contact the long-estranged father the boy never knew. She reunites with an old friend, an outspoken transgender sex worker, and befriends a troubled actress and a pregnant, HIV-positive nun.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThree Can Play That Game (2007)
Shanté Smith has moved to Atlanta and become the Love Doctor, a relationship expert who uses her knowledge of the male psyche to help women get what they want.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Girls Gone Psycho (2006)
Life's always been easy for trust-fund baby Sasha Childers (Kinsey Packard), who spends her nights with her glitterati friends at the hottest clubs in town. When a sex tape surfaces that puts Sasha in the tabloids, she takes revenge on the club owner who leaked it. But her crime puts her on someone else's hit list, sending Sasha and her friends someplace they've never been: on the run. Deanna Dozier, Monterey Salka and Robert Berson co-star.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963)
The crooks in London know how it works. No one carries guns and no one resists the police. Then a new gang appears that go one better. They dress as police and steal from the crooks. This upsets the natural order of the police/criminal relationship and the police and the crooks join forces to catch the IPOs (Impersonating Police Officers), including an armoured car robbery in which the police must help the gangs to set a trap.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSay Goodnight (2008)
Three guys tell a friend the stories of how they met the loves of their lives, and how they managed to completely screw up the relationships.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Symbol (2009)
A Japanese man in polka-dot pajamas wakes up in a room with no doors. Meanwhile, a middle-aged Mexican wrestler prepares for his most challenging match ever.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLovers and Other Strangers (1970)
Mike Vecchio and Susan Henderson are preparing for their upcoming wedding. However, they seem to be the only two people at the wedding that are happy. Mike's brother Richie and his wife Joan are going through a divorce, which is upsetting his overly devout Catholic mother Beatrice. Also, Susan's father is carrying on an affair and her sex starved older sister Wilma is going through her troubles with her husband Johnny. All this is going on while Mike's best friend Jerry is trying to bed the maid of honor, Susan's cousin Brenda.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
We Are What We Drink (2010)
A man stands in line for his morning coffee blissfully unaware at how life defining his encounter with the slack-jawed, gum chewing barista will actually be.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Waterproof (2020)
Jack is in a rut and unsure what to do with his life. He tries to stay focused and get his life in order, but all manner of distractions get in the way.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Like True Stories and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like True Stories?
The closest matches to True Stories are Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), A Day at the Races (1937) and Bye Bye Birdie (1963). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after True Stories?
Start with Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), the closest match to True Stories.
What is the highest-rated movie like True Stories?
Scooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown (2017), rated 7.7/10 by 209 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like True Stories?
Redwood Diaries (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like True Stories?
Yes: Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), A Day at the Races (1937) and Bye Bye Birdie (1963).
How are movies similar to True Stories chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside True Stories, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.