Movies like The Great Outdoors (1988)
The best movies like The Great Outdoors (1988) are National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), Your Sister's Sister (2011) and Grown Ups 2 (2013). If The Great Outdoors hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMonsters, Inc. (2001)7.9/10 from 20,513 votes
- NewestF Valentine's Day (2026)Released 2026
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Clark Griswold is on a quest to take his family to the Walley World theme park for a vacation, but things don't go exactly as planned.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYour Sister's Sister (2011)
Iris invites her friend Jack to stay at her family's island getaway after the death of his brother. At their remote cabin, Jack's drunken encounter with Hannah, Iris' sister, kicks off a revealing stretch of days.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGrown Ups 2 (2013)
Lenny has relocated his family back to the small town where he and his friends grew up. This time around, the grown ups are the ones learning lessons from their kids on a day notoriously full of surprises—the last day of school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDuplex (2003)
When a young couple buys their dream home, they have no idea what the sweet little old lady upstairs is going to put them through!
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 thisDumb and Dumber (1994)
Lloyd and Harry are two men whose stupidity is really indescribable. When Mary, a beautiful woman, loses an important suitcase with money before she leaves for Aspen, the two friends (who have found the suitcase) decide to return it to her. After some "adventures" they finally get to Aspen where, using the lost money they live it up and fight for Mary's heart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStewie Griffin: The Untold Story (2005)
The maniacal baby of the Griffin family, Stewie, meets his future self. In doing this he discovers that his future image is not what he has anticipated because of a near death experience.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOut Cold (2001)
Rick Rambis and his friends are having the time of their lives on Bull Mountain—until the legendary Papa Muntz' son decides to sell the mountain to a sleazy land developer, have the staff fired and turn Bull Mountain into 'Yuppieville'.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisLast Vegas (2013)
Aging pals Billy, Paddy, Archie, and Sam have been best friends since childhood. When Billy finally proposes to his much-younger girlfriend, all four friends go to Las Vegas to celebrate the end of Billy's longtime bachelorhood and relive their glory days. However, the four quickly realize that the intervening decades have changed Sin City and tested their friendship in ways they had not imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMcLintock! (1963)
Aging rancher and self-made man, George Washington McLintock is forced to deal with numerous personal and professional problems. Seemingly everyone wants a piece of his enormous farmstead, including high-ranking government men and nearby Native Americans. As McLintock tries to juggle his various adversaries, his wife—who left him two years previously—suddenly returns. But she isn't interested in George; she wants custody of their daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWayne's World (1992)
The adventures of two amiably aimless metal-head friends, Wayne and Garth. From Wayne's basement, the pair broadcast a talk-show called "Wayne's World" on local public access television. The show comes to the attention of a sleazy network executive who wants to produce a big-budget version of "Wayne's World"—and he also wants Wayne's girlfriend, a rock singer named Cassandra. Wayne and Garth have to battle the executive not only to save their show, but also Cassandra.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaddy's Home 2 (2017)
Father and stepfather Dusty and Brad join forces to make Christmastime perfect for the children. Their newfound partnership soon gets put to the test when Dusty's old-school, macho dad and Brad's gentle father arrive to turn the holiday upside down. After a sudden change in plans, the four men decide to take the kids to a luxury resort for a fun-filled getaway that turns into a hilarious and chaotic adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShanghai Noon (2000)
Chon Wang, a clumsy imperial guard, trails Princess Pei Pei when she's kidnapped from the Forbidden City and transported to America. Wang follows her captors to Nevada, where he teams up with an unlikely partner, outcast outlaw Roy O'Bannon, and tries to spring the princess from her imprisonment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCandy Cane Lane (2023)
Determined to win the neighborhood's annual Christmas decorating contest, family man Chris makes a pact with an elf to help him out-do the competition. However, the elf casts a spell bringing the twelve days of Christmas to life, unleashing chaos on the small unsuspecting town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBachelor Party (1984)
On the eve of his wedding to his longtime girlfriend, unassuming nice guy Rick is dragged out for a night of debauchery by his friends.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKristin's Christmas Past (2013)
Kristin, a cynical 34-year-old, drinks a mysterious champagne on Christmas Eve and wakes up seventeen years in the past, sharing a room with her 17-year-old self. Given the chance to change the worst Christmas of her life, she attempts to fix past mistakes, only to discover surprising truths about her family that may help her mend her present-day relationships.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisClick & Collect (2018)
To save his daughter's Christmas, Andrew goes on a road trip with Dev, his neighbour from hell, to buy an elusive Sparklehoof the Unicorn Princess.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGrudge Match (2013)
A pair of aging boxing rivals are coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout -- 30 years after their last match.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAddams Family Values (1993)
Siblings Wednesday and Pugsley Addams will stop at nothing to get rid of Pubert, the new baby boy adored by parents Gomez and Morticia. Things go from bad to worse when the new "black widow" nanny, Debbie Jellinsky, launches her plan to add Fester to her collection of dead husbands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSwitching Channels (1988)
A television news chief courts his anchorwoman ex-wife with an eleventh-hour story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGroundhog Day (1993)
A cynical TV weatherman, along with his idealistic producer and his sardonic cameraman, is sent to report on Groundhog Day in the small town of Punxsutawney, where he finds himself repeating the same day over and over.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNoelle (2019)
Kris Kringle's daughter, Noelle, sets off on a mission to find and bring back her brother, after he gets cold feet when it's his turn to take over as Santa.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove Actually (2003)
Eight very different couples deal with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNotting Hill (1999)
London bookstore owner William Thacker's quiet life turns upside down when a chance encounter with famous actress Anna Scott sparks an unlikely romance challenged by their vastly different worlds.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe 10 Year Plan (2014)
Myles and Brody are best friends with two very different ways of finding love. Displeased with their current love lives, they make a pact to be together if neither finds love in ten year’s time. Now two months shy of their deadline, both friends set off to do whatever it takes to avoid ending up as each other’s last resort.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
A couple of thirtysomething best friends unwittingly become entangled in an international conspiracy when one’s ex-boyfriend shows up at their apartment with a team of deadly assassins on his trail.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBread and Tulips (2000)
An endearing light comedy about a woman who spontaneously becomes a resident of Venice after her family left her behind. While enjoying the wonderful people she meets she achieves a new life and the first time independent of her family.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisF Valentine's Day (2026)
Gina hates her Valentine's Day birthday and travels to Greece to prevent her boyfriend's proposal. With help from vacationers Johnny and his sister Mickey, she schemes to delay it – while questioning her relationship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonsters, Inc. (2001)
Lovable Sulley and his wisecracking sidekick Mike Wazowski are the top scare team at Monsters, Inc., the scream-processing factory in Monstropolis. When a little girl named Boo wanders into their world, it's the monsters who are scared silly, and it's up to Sulley and Mike to keep her out of sight and get her back home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisTogether (2000)
Elisabeth leaves her abusive and drunken husband Rolf, and goes to live with her brother, Göran. The year is 1975 and Göran lives in a commune called Together. Living in this leftist commune Elisabeth learns that the world can be viewed from different perspectives.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Great Outdoors?
The closest matches to The Great Outdoors are National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), Your Sister's Sister (2011) and Grown Ups 2 (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Great Outdoors?
Start with National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), the closest match to The Great Outdoors.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Great Outdoors?
Monsters, Inc. (2001), rated 7.9/10 by 20,513 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Great Outdoors?
F Valentine's Day (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Great Outdoors?
Yes: National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), Your Sister's Sister (2011) and Grown Ups 2 (2013).
How are movies similar to The Great Outdoors chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Great Outdoors, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.