Movies like The Happenings (1998)
The best movies like The Happenings (1998) are Going by the Book (2007), Midnight Runners (2017) and Public Enemy Returns (2008). If The Happenings hooked you with its comedy and crime, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMidnight Runners (2017)7.5/10 from 263 votes
- NewestOscar Shaw (2026)Released 2026
- In KoreanGoing by the Book (2007)Also in Korean
Going by the Book (2007)
The chief of Sampo City Police Office, Seung-u, organizes a simulation of a bank robbery, but a by-the-book cop gets too caught up in the role playing in which the simulation doesn't go the way he had anticipated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMidnight Runners (2017)
Two apathetic police academy recruits who become best buddies through the tough training together witness a woman being abducted right before their very eyes. As they were taught in the academy, they quickly report the incident to the police, but the police are in no hurry to jump on the case. So the duo decide to take the matter into their own hands and rescue the woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPublic Enemy Returns (2008)
Kang Chul-jung has been a detective fighting crime for 15 years and is at it again against a mob boss who recruits young kids to do his dirty work.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJohnny Dangerously (1984)
An honest, goodhearted man is forced to turn to a life of crime to finance his neurotic mother's skyrocketing medical bills.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPorridge (1979)
Times are hard for habitual guest of Her Majesty Norman Stanley Fletcher. The new prison officer, Beale, makes MacKay look soft and what's more, an escape plan is hatching from the cell of prison godfather Grouty and Fletcher wants no part of it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Rob a Bank (2007)
Caught in the middle of a bank robbery, a slacker and a bank employee become the ones who arbitrate the intense situation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Thursday Murder Club (2025)
A group of senior sleuths passionate about solving cold cases get plunged into a real-life murder mystery in this comic crime caper.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTough Guys (1986)
Harry Doyle and Archie Lang are two old-time train robbers, who held up a train in 1956 and have been incarcerated for thirty years. After serving their time, they are released from jail and have to adjust to a new life of freedom. and soon realize that they still have the pizzazz when, picking up their prison checks at a bank, they foil a robbery attempt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dream Team (1989)
Four mental patients on a field trip in New York City must save their caring chaperone, who ends up being taken to a hospital in a coma after accidentally witnessing a murder, before the killers can find him and finish the job.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShadow of the Thin Man (1941)
While attending a major horse race with their young son, Nick Jr., Nick and Nora Charles witnesse a shocking murder from the crowded grandstand. What first appears to be an isolated killing soon leads to a maze of corruption, blackmail, gambling scandals, and criminal intrigue. As Nick investigates, he encounters suspicious bookmakers, dishonest officials, rival gangsters, and a mysterious killer determined to stay ahead of the law. Nora, as always, is never far from the action, bringing her quick wit and fearless curiosity to the case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPsych 2: Lassie Come Home (2020)
After Santa Barbara Police Chief Carlton Lassiter is ambushed and left for dead, Shawn and Gus return to help him and find themselves embroiled in a case involving the personal, the professional – and even the supernatural.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDon't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
When Ashtray moves to South Central L.A. to live with his father (who appears to be the same age he is) and grandmother (who likes to talk tough and smoke reefer), he falls in with his gang-banging cousin Loc Dog, who along with the requisite pistols and Uzi carries a thermo-nuclear warhead for self-defense. Will Ashtray be able to keep living the straight life?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNaked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994)
Frank Drebin is persuaded out of retirement to go undercover in a state prison. There he has to find out what top terrorist, Rocco, has planned for when he escapes. Adding to his problems, Frank's wife, Jane, is desperate for a baby.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHostile Takeover (2025)
Follows Pete, a professional hitman, as he faces a group of assassins after the boss of a crime syndicate suspects disloyalty due to his attendance at Workaholics Anonymous meetings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Seven-Ups (1973)
A tough detective who is part of an elite New York City unit is trying to find out who killed his partner, but uncovers a plot to kidnap mobsters for money.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTabloid Truth (2014)
Woo-gon, a passionate manager who lost everything due to stock advertisements and a specialist gets together to find out the truth behind the rumors that have shaken up the country. From precious information to distribution, this crime chasing movie surrounds the invisible truth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnother Public Enemy (2005)
A criminal psychopath from a wealthy family is confronted with Chul-jung Kang, a former classmate who no longer likes his activities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPrivate Eye (2009)
The story takes place in occupied Korea at the start of the 20th century, where a young student in medicine discovers the murdered body of the son of a government official. Being scared of being accused, he decides to hire Hong Jin-ho (a detective) to help him find the murderer before the police accuse him of the murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOscar Shaw (2026)
After retiring from the police force, a relentless detective haunted by the tragic loss of his closest friend sets out on a perilous quest for vengeance, seeking redemption and fighting to restore justice to the streets he once swore to protect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBig Match (2014)
When his brother vanishes, ex-footballer and MMA star Ik-ho receives a call from a game planner who has turned the whole city into a board game that Ik-ho must navigate if he is to save his brother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Happenings?
The closest matches to The Happenings are Going by the Book (2007), Midnight Runners (2017) and Public Enemy Returns (2008). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Happenings?
Start with Going by the Book (2007), the closest match to The Happenings.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Happenings?
Midnight Runners (2017), rated 7.5/10 by 263 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Happenings?
Oscar Shaw (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like The Happenings?
Yes: Going by the Book (2007), Midnight Runners (2017) and Public Enemy Returns (2008).
How are movies similar to The Happenings chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Happenings, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.