Movies like Shyam (2016)
The best movies like Shyam (2016) are Playing with Fire (2019), Recess: All Growed Down (2003) and Switched (2020). If Shyam 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 ratedRon's Gone Wrong (2021)7.8/10 from 2,106 votes
- NewestSarvam Maya (2025)Released 2025
- In MalayalamSarvam Maya (2025)Also in Malayalam
Playing with Fire (2019)
A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRecess: All Growed Down (2003)
T.J. and The Recess Gang are kidnapped by the Third Street School's kindergartners, who are in turn being bullied by a new kid in their class.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisRecess: School's Out (2001)
The school year is finally ending, and T.J. Detweiler is looking forward to summer. But boredom quickly sets in when his friends leave for camp — until T.J. uncovers an evil plot to do away with summer vacation! A crazy former principal, Dr. Benedict, is planning to use a laser beam to alter the weather and create permanent winter. Faced with the dire threat of year-round school, T.J. rounds up the RECESS gang and bands together with some unexpected allies — Miss Finster and Principal Prickly — in a nonstop adventure to save everyone's summer break.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRecess: Taking the Fifth Grade (2003)
Everyone's favorite fourth graders have graduated! It's an all-new school year for the kids — and the gang hits the fifth grade running! But they're stopped in their tracks when they discover some unwelcome changes — no pizza, no playground... no lockers! And to make things worse, their teacher turns out to be the cantankerous Miss Finster! It's all too much for T.J., who is determined to find a way to stand up for what the gang believes in and improve the school they love! The fifth grade brings out the best in everyone... even Miss Finster and Principal Prickly!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSnoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin (2024)
Franklin is new to town and hoping to make friends, but his usual tactics don't work on the Peanuts gang. When the Soap Box Derby arrives, he's sure it's a chance to impress new pals and teams up with the only other unpartnered kid: Charlie Brown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRon's Gone Wrong (2021)
In a world where walking, talking, digitally connected bots have become children's best friends, an 11-year-old finds that his robot buddy doesn't quite work the same as the others do.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting (2020)
Recruited by a secret society of babysitters, a high schooler battles the Boogeyman and his monsters when they nab the boy she's watching on Halloween.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness (2022)
A brave young animal explorer teams up with two trusty friends to find a powerful artifact before his greedy uncle can get his paws on it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Loud House Christmas (2021)
Lincoln Loud gears up for the ultimate Christmas, until he finds out that most of his sisters have plans to be elsewhere for the big day. Determined to remind his family that they all need to be together, Lincoln and his best friend Clyde McBride embark on a mission to preserve the family’s holiday traditions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSarvam Maya (2025)
An atheist priest's life is upended after performing an exorcism, bonding with a charming spirit who helps him pursue music and heal his past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLittle Monsters (1989)
A young boy is scared of the monster under his bed. He asks his 6th grade brother to swap rooms for the night as a bet that the monster really exists. Soon the brother becomes friends with the monster and discovers a whole new world of fun and games under his bed where pulling pranks on kids and other monsters is the main attraction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisSnoopy Presents: Lucy's School (2022)
The Peanuts gang is anxious about starting at a new school in the fall, inspiring Lucy to start her own school instead. She soon learns that teaching isn't as easy as it sounds and that change can be a good thing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisScooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob (2021)
An evil sorceress transports the gang back to the age of chivalrous knights, spell-casting wizards, and fire-breathing dragons.
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 thisScooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (2009)
Unjustly accused of staging a spooky practical joke complete with ghosts, Daphne, Velma, Fred and Shaggy are suspended from Coolsville High. To clear their names, they team up to solve the supernatural mystery…and head straight into nonstop laughs and adventure.
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 thisOh, God! (1977)
When God appears to an assistant grocery manager as a good natured old man, the Almighty selects him as his messenger for the modern world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonster High: Friday Night Frights (2012)
After Monster High’s roller skating team is defeated at the Skulltimate Roller Maze tournament, the ghouls team up to face an all-boys league, with the hope of winning back the school crest and restoring school spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBilly Madison (1995)
Billy Madison is the 27 year-old son of Bryan Madison, a very rich man who has made his living in the hotel industry. Billy stands to inherit his father's empire, but only if he can make it through all 12 grades, 2 weeks per grade, to prove that he has what it takes to run the family business.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCharlotte's Web (2006)
Wilbur the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Sharks (1992)
When dishwasher Ingo, whose girl-friend has just left him, returns a borrowed bar stool to the Folkwang Acting School in Essen, he stumbles into the audition for next year's new students. He lets Johannes, the broke and unsuccessful applicant, stay with him. Ingo decides to go to Munich with Johannes, where he wants to try his luck once again. Hitchhiking, they get rides with very different drivers on the autobahn. They meet up with the smooth-talking Ali in the wayside dinner "Raststätte Spessart". Arriving in Munich, the trio tries to find cheap sleeping accommodation. They enter Ingo into the audition at Munich acting school. Moreover, Johannes falls in love with street artist Herta from Berlin. Written by emkarpf
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Threesome (2014)
Som, an ordinary young woman who works as a movie make-up artist. Her longtime live-in boyfriend Rang is also in the business. But the handsome musclebound prop guy – always wearing tight, biceps-baring vest T-shirts – captures many adoring eyes, like that slutty actress, but also his straight-acting gay boss and just about anyone else with a pulse.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Card Zero (2023)
Before disappearing in the Mojave Desert, Robbie Zagorac captured love, life and heartbreak in a video diary.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Ayaal Sassi (2017)
Sassi, a pompous man, uses unfair means to create a name for himself in the society. When he finds out that he is terminally ill, he gets a special coffin made for him to be buried in style.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998)
The circle of life continues for Simba, now fully grown and in his rightful place as the king of Pride Rock. Simba and Nala have given birth to a daughter, Kiara who's as rebellious as her father was. But Kiara drives her parents to distraction when she catches the eye of Kovu, the son of the evil lioness, Zira. Will Kovu steal Kiara's heart?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHalf of Me (2024)
A young gay, neurotic and ex-religious art student goes into a spin with the surprise visit of an eccentric childhood friend.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Newsies (2017)
A week in the life of the exploited, child newspaper sellers in turn-of-the-century New York. When their publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, tries to squeeze a little more profit out of their labours, they organize a strike, only to be confronted with the Pulitzer's hard-ball tactics.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNairu Pidicha Pulivalu (1958)
Chandran, a circus performer, and Thankam are in love. The circus team borrows some money from Thankam's father, Paithal Nair. When they are unable to repay, Paithal Nair takes away their animals.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Las Flores Son Para Los Muertos (2025)
He and she have been married for 40 years in constant happiness. What no one knows is that she is obsessed with death. Her days are filled with unusual practices, rehearsals of what it will be like when they find her body, and conversations about coffins with her husband. He finds it strange, but he loves her so much that he supports her in everything, especially now that their anniversary is approaching.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Like Shyam and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Shyam?
The closest matches to Shyam are Playing with Fire (2019), Recess: All Growed Down (2003) and Switched (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Shyam?
Start with Playing with Fire (2019), the closest match to Shyam.
What is the highest-rated movie like Shyam?
Ron's Gone Wrong (2021), rated 7.8/10 by 2,106 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Shyam?
Sarvam Maya (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Malayalam movies like Shyam?
Yes: Sarvam Maya (2025), Ayaal Sassi (2017) and Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu (1958).
How are movies similar to Shyam chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Shyam, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.