Movies like Detour
The best movies like Detour are Scarecrow (1973), Steve Jobs (2015) and Original Sin (2001). If Detour hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Detour
Quick picks
- Highest ratedParis, Texas (1984)8.1/10 from 2,369 votes
- NewestA Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025)Released 2025
Scarecrow (1973)
Two drifters bum around, visit earthy women and discuss opening a car wash in Pittsburgh.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSteve Jobs (2015)
Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOriginal Sin (2001)
A young man is plunged into a life of subterfuge, deceit and mistaken identity in pursuit of a femme fatale whose heart is never quite within his grasp.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTime Travel Mater (2012)
When a clock lands on Mater's engine, he travels back in time to 1909 where he meets Stanley, an ambitious young car on his way to California. With the help of Lightning McQueen, Mater alters history by convincing Stanley to stay and build Radiator Springs. Stanley meets Lizzie and they commemorate the opening of the new courthouse with their wedding.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTime Freak (2018)
Stillman, a heartbroken physics student, builds a time machine when his girlfriend breaks up with him. Going back in time, he attempts to save their relationship by fixing every mistake he made—while dragging his best friend along in the process.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFrequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009)
Follows three social outcasts -- two geeks and a cynic -- as they attempt to navigate a time-travel conundrum in the middle of a British pub.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021)
Two teenagers trapped in an endless time loop set out to find all the tiny things that make that one day perfect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHead Full of Honey (2018)
A young girl tries to help her grandfather, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, navigate his increasing forgetfulness, and ends up going on a remarkable adventure with him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInner Workings (2016)
This is the story of the internal struggle between a man's Brain—a pragmatic protector who calculates his every move, and his Heart—a free-spirited adventurer who wants to let loose.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMike's New Car (2002)
Mike discovers that being the top-ranking laugh collector at Monsters, Inc. has its benefits – in particular, earning enough money to buy a six-wheel-drive car that's loaded with gadgets. That new-car smell doesn't last long enough, however, as Sulley jump-starts an ill-fated road test that teaches Mike the true meaning of buyer's remorse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParis, Texas (1984)
A man wanders out of the desert not knowing who he is. His brother finds him, and helps to pull his memory back of the life he led before he walked out on his family and disappeared four years earlier.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisRed Nose Day Actually (2017)
Fourteen years after the events of the original film, a series of encounters between people in Britain reminds us that in these different times Love, actually exists.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Radiator Springs 500½ (2014)
A 'leisurely drive' planned in honor of Radiator Springs’ town founder, Stanley, turns precarious as Baja pros descend on the town and challenge Lightning McQueen to an off-road race. Meanwhile, the townsfolk, led by a Stanley-costumed Mater, enjoy the planned 'leisurely drive' to retrace Stanley’s original frontier route. Thinking they’re on the same course, a wrong turn sends McQueen and the Baja pros on a treacherously wild bid for survival. The misunderstanding leaves the racing professionals in awe of the 'legend' of Stanley: the Original Off-Road Racer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMagnolia (1999)
On one random day in the San Fernando Valley, a dying father, a young wife, a male caretaker, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host and an estranged daughter will each become part of a dazzling multiplicity of plots, but one story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Map That Leads to You (2025)
Heather is a young woman traveling Europe with friends before starting her perfectly planned life. A chance meeting with Jack sparks an unexpected romance that leads to deep emotional discovery. As secrets and life choices test their bond, her path changes forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
Due to a genetic disorder, handsome librarian Henry DeTamble involuntarily zips through time, appearing at various moments in the life of his true love, the beautiful artist Clare Abshire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Human Voice (2020)
A woman watches time pass beside the suitcases of her ex-lover (who is supposed to come pick them up but never arrives) and a restless dog who doesn't understand that his master has abandoned him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWild Hogs (2007)
Restless and ready for an adventure, four suburban bikers leave the safety of their subdivision and head out on the open road. But complications ensue when they cross paths with an intimidating band of New Mexico bikers known as the Del Fuegos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Nobody (2009)
Nemo Nobody leads an ordinary existence with his wife and 3 children; one day, he wakes up as a mortal centenarian in the year 2092.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025)
Sarah and David are single strangers who meet at a mutual friend’s wedding and soon, through a surprising twist of fate, find themselves on a funny, fantastical, sweeping adventure together where they get to re-live important moments from their respective pasts, illuminating how they got to where they are in the present... and possibly getting a chance to alter their futures.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFunnel (2014)
A man's car breaks down, leading him to journey for a small plastic funnel.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Africa Light / Gray Zone (2010)
"Africa Light" - as white local citizens call Namibia. The name suggests romance, the beauty of nature and promises a life without any problems in a country where the difference between rich and poor could hardly be greater. Namibia does not give that impression of it. If you look at its surface it seems like Africa in its most innocent and civilized form. It is a country that is so inviting to dream by its spectacular landscape, stunning scenery and fascinating wildlife. It has a very strong tourism structure and the government gets a lot of money with its magical attraction. But despite its grandiose splendor it is an endless gray zone as well. It oscillates between tradition and modernity, between the cattle in the country and the slums in the city. It shuttles from colonial times, land property reform to minimum wage for everyone. It fluctuates between socialism and cold calculated market economy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
A Political Cartoon (1974)
Two guys run a cartoon character for President.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Silup (2011)
Silup is “Pulis” (police) spelled backwards. We peek into the life of a Manila cop whose day is made up of dealing with denizens and the crimes they commit. At work, he may be all tough and stern, but at home, we see his more sensitive side. He has this mysterious routine of taking out a can of sterilized milk from a cupboard and depositing his revolver in its place. Later on, it is revealed why he makes the switch and how it is like to live by his duty as a policeman to serve and protect.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Hazard (2010)
While out driving together, a father and his son discover that they share different principles and perspectives in life. Upon reaching the city’s outskirts, they make an even more disturbing discovery that will push their unstable relationship to its limits.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Niño Bonito (2011)
Boni, a little boy from the slums, squares off with the stark reality of drugs, petty crime and abuse armed with his own brand of hip hop and some divine intervention.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Carpool (2006)
Jerrold Tarog's award-winning 2006 short film on friendship and infidelity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Detour?
The closest matches to Detour are Scarecrow (1973), Steve Jobs (2015) and Original Sin (2001). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Detour?
Start with Scarecrow (1973), the closest match to Detour.
What is the highest-rated movie like Detour?
Paris, Texas (1984), rated 8.1/10 by 2,369 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Detour?
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Detour?
Yes: Scarecrow (1973), Steve Jobs (2015) and Original Sin (2001).
How are movies similar to Detour chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Detour, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.