Movies like Hero in the Family (1986)
The best movies like Hero in the Family (1986) are Genius (1999), Casper Meets Wendy (1998) and Under Wraps (2021). If Hero in the Family hooked you with its family and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School (2008)9.0/10 from 261 votes
- NewestLiving Your Life (2022)Released 2022
Genius (1999)
Charlie Boyle finds that even his high IQ can't solve all of his problems when he takes on a double life in order to make friends his own age.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCasper Meets Wendy (1998)
When a warlock threatens Wendy the Good Little Witch, she and her aunts hide out at a resort where Casper the Ghost is vacationing with his uncles. Although Casper and Wendy are told ghosts and witches don't get along, the two are kindred spirits! This spooky family-friendly adventure finds Casper and Wendy bridging the ghost-witch divide to battle the warlock who is intent on destroying Wendy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisUnder Wraps (2021)
Three friends try to save their mummified friend, Harold, from greedy criminals by returning him to his resting place before midnight on Halloween.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAdventures in Babysitting (2016)
Two teen rival babysitters, Jenny and Lola, team up to hunt down one of their kids who accidentally ran away into the big city without any supervision.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTo Grandmother's House We Go (1992)
When precocious twins Sarah and Julie feel like Mom is tired of them, they take off on an exciting adventure to their grandmother's house and encounter a pair of villains along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex (2013)
While trying to prove to her family she can be mature and responsible, teen wizard Alex Russo conjures up a spell to rid herself of her bad qualities, unintentionally creating a Good and Evil Alex. When Evil Alex gets involved in a plan to take over the world by a dark wizard, Good Alex must find a way to save her family, humankind, and ultimately herself in an epic Good vs. Evil battle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisUnder Wraps 2 (2022)
As Marshall, Gilbert and Amy are preparing for her father’s Spooktacular Halloween-themed wedding to his fiancé Carl, plans go awry when they discover that their mummy friend Harold and his beloved Rose may be in danger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRe-Animated (2006)
Jimmy is the kid everybody ignores and uses. One day, he gets into a freak accident. The only way for him to survive is a brain transplant. He gets the brain of Milt Appleday, a famous cartoon creator. And when he wakes up, he can see cartoons!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
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 & family
Worth the HypeMovies 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 & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRocko's Modern Life: Static Cling (2019)
After 20 years in space, Rocko returns to a technologically advanced O-Town and makes it his mission to get his favorite show back on the air.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School (2008)
When Alex is caught using magic to clean her room she is forced to go to wizard school with Justin. Max and Jerry camp out on the terrace to prove their manhood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisiParty with Victorious (2011)
Carly discovers her boyfriend Steven Carson has been cheating on her with Tori Vega, so the gang flies out to Los Angeles where they meet Tori and the gang from Hollywood Arts. They attend a party hosted by Kenan Thompson where Carly and Tori realize Steven was dating them both and therefore cheating on them at the same time, so they plot payback on him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDrake & Josh Go Hollywood (2006)
When Drake and Josh accidentally send their little sister Megan on a plane to L.A., they soon find themselves in the middle of a dangerous situation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSwitched (2020)
Tired of being bullied, Cassandra Evans prays that her nemesis, Katie Sharp, the queen bee of social media, would know what it’s like to walk a day in her shoes. Her prayer is answered in an unexpected way when they get switched.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInvisible Sister (2015)
Teenager Cleo's school science project goes quite awry, causing her popular older sister Molly to go invisible.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThunderstruck (2012)
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPsych: The Movie (2017)
The ambitious friends come together during the holidays after a mystery assailant targets one of their own. A comedic thrill-ride follows, as the wild and unpredictable Psych team pursues the bad guys, justice … and, of course, food!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRobot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III (2010)
Millions of years from now, after Socrates, Shakespeare and the bible are long forgotten, only two great works will remain: the sci-fi cinema epic Star Wars and Adult Swim's stop-motion animated, cheap gag extravanganza Robot Chicken. And now, for the first time, they come together for the third time, in this all new special. That's right, all your mot beloved Star Wars characters are going back through the comedy meat grinder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (2011)
Puppy mayhem turns the lives of newlywed Chihuahua parents Papi and Chloe upside down when their rambunctious, mischievous puppies present one challenge after another. But when their human owners end up in trouble, the tiny pups will stop at nothing to save them - because in good times and hard times, the family always sticks together. So Papi, Chloe and the puppies embark on a heroic adventure, proving once again that big heroes come in small packages.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisAll Screwed Up (2012)
FREAKY FRIDAY with a twist. Teenisha (Chyna Lane of PRECIOUS, CADILLAC RECORDS) is your modern geeky teen - smart, suffering from ADD, an outcast at school, and an oddity in her own home. Pete is every girl's dream - star of the sports team, confident, homecoming King, and dating the hottest girl in school. Their lives change when this jock and this science nerd switch bodies during a freak accident!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & comedy
Freaky Friday (2003)
Mother and daughter bicker over everything -- what Anna wears, whom she likes and what she wants to do when she's older. In turn, Anna detests Tess's fiancé. When a magical fortune cookie switches their personalities, they each get a peek at how the other person feels, thinks and lives.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDos Penitentes Pero no Tanto (1990)
A house maid prepares a potion that switches her boss and his son's bodies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
All of Me (1984)
Just before stubborn millionaire Edwina Cutwater dies, she asks her uptight lawyer, Roger Cobb, to amend her will so that her soul will pass to the young, vibrant Terry Hoskins – but the spiritual transference goes awry. Edwina enters Roger's body instead, forcing him to battle Edwina for control of his own being.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hot Chick (2002)
Not only is Jessica Spencer the most popular girl in school -- she is also the meanest. But things change for the attractive teen when a freak accident involving a cursed pair of earrings and a chance encounter at a gas station causes her to switch bodies with Clive, a sleazy crook. Jessica, in the form of the repulsive Clive, struggles to adjust to this radical alteration and sets out to get her own body back before the upcoming prom.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLiving Your Life (2022)
Through a magical coincidence, the ambitious career woman Rebecca and the lively musical actress Maja switch bodies and have to find their way in each other's lives. What begins as a strange dilemma soon teaches them important life lessons.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Big (1988)
When a young boy makes a wish at a carnival machine to be big, he wakes up the following morning to find that it has been granted and his body has grown older overnight, but he is still the same 13-year-old boy inside. Now he must learn how to cope with the unfamiliar world of grown-ups, including getting a job and having his first romantic encounter with a woman.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPrelude to a Kiss (1992)
A couple fall in love despite the girl's pessimistic outlook. As they struggle to come to terms with their relationship, something supernatural happens that tests it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisFamily Swap (TBA)
With a father who has all but given up, a disconnected mother, two moody teenagers, and a tempestuous little one – there’s already plenty of drama for one family to manage. However, when they all wake up to find that they’re in each other’s bodies – and when it keeps happening, morning after morning – the chaos continues to escalate. Set into motion by an innocuous wish, the James family is forced to explore their generational differences, intra-marital conflicts, raging hormones, and professional anxieties, in a complicated web of body-swapping madness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Change (1997)
Troublemaker Dae-ho and model student Eun-bi are complete opposites. One stormy day, a mysterious lightning strike causes them to switch bodies. Forced to live each other's lives, they stumble through school, family, and friendships, gradually discovering sides of one another they had never understood before.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Hero in the Family?
The closest matches to Hero in the Family are Genius (1999), Casper Meets Wendy (1998) and Under Wraps (2021). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Hero in the Family?
Start with Genius (1999), the closest match to Hero in the Family.
What is the highest-rated movie like Hero in the Family?
Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School (2008), rated 9.0/10 by 261 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Hero in the Family?
Living Your Life (2022) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Hero in the Family?
Yes: Genius (1999), Casper Meets Wendy (1998) and Under Wraps (2021).
How are movies similar to Hero in the Family chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Hero in the Family, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.