Movies like What a Life (1930)
The best movies like What a Life (1930) are A Song Is Born (1948), Animal Crackers (1930) and The Big Store (1941). If What a Life hooked you with its comedy and music, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedA Day at the Races (1937)7.1/10 from 244 votes
- NewestJohn Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (2019)Released 2019
A Song Is Born (1948)
The story of seven scholars in search of an expert to teach them about swing music. They seem to have found the perfect candidate in winsome nightclub singer Honey Swanson. But Honey's gangster boyfriend doesn't want to give her up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnimal Crackers (1930)
The well-known explorer and hunter Captain Spaulding has just returned from Africa, and is being welcomed home with a lavish party at the estate of influential society matron Mrs. Rittenhouse when a valuable painting goes missing. The intrepid Captain Spaulding attempts to solve the crime with the help of his silly secretary Horatio Jamison, while sparring with the anarchic Signor Emanuel Ravelli and his nutty sidekick The Professor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Big Store (1941)
A detective is hired to protect the life of a singer, who has recently inherited a department store, from the store's crooked manager.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHead (1968)
In this surrealistic and free-form follow-up to the Monkees' television show, the band frolic their way through a series of musical set pieces and vignettes containing humor and anti-establishment social commentary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFootlight Parade (1933)
A fledgling producer finds himself at odds with his workers, financiers and his greedy ex-wife when he tries to produce live musicals for movie-going audiences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Day at the Races (1937)
Doctor Hugo Hackenbush, Tony, and Stuffy try and save Judy's sanitarium by winning a big race with a finicky horse owned by Judy's boyfriend Gil. There are a few problems. Hackenbush, who was recently put in charge of the sanitarium, isn't really a doctor, he's a veterinarian.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBabes in Arms (1939)
Mickey Moran, son of two vaudeville veterans, decides to put up his own vaudeville show with his girlfriend Patsy Barton. But child actress Rosalie wants to make a comeback and replace Patsy both professionally and as Mickey's girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978)
The story of the rise and fall of the Pre-Fab Four.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove Happy (1949)
The Marx Brothers help young Broadway hopefuls when they get mixed up with gangsters due to a tin of sardines containing Romanoff diamonds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Cocoanuts (1929)
During the Florida land boom, the Marx Brothers run a hotel, auction off some land and thwart a jewel robbery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJohn Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (2019)
John Mulaney and his kid pals tackle existential topics for all ages with catchy songs, comedy sketches and special guests in a nostalgic variety special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBye Bye Birdie (1963)
A singer goes to a small town for a performance before he is drafted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Girl Can't Help It (1956)
A down-and-out gangster hires a down-on-his-luck agent to make his girlfriend a recording star within six weeks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHelp! (1965)
An obscure Eastern cult that practices human sacrifice pursues Ringo after he unknowingly puts on a ceremonial ring (that, of course, won't come off). On top of that, a pair of mad scientists, members of Scotland Yard, and a beautiful but dead-eyed assassin all have their own plans for the Fab Four.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBuck Privates (1941)
Petty con artists Slicker Smith and Herbie Brown mistakenly join the Army evading the cops. The cop chasing them winds up as their drill instructor. A rich young man and his former working class chauffeur are not only in the same unit, they're vying for a pretty girl who seems attracted to both.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGodspell (1973)
In modern-day New York City, John the Baptist calls out to a group of young men and women to learn from the teachings of Jesus. Through song and dance, they relive Christ's crucifixion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rocker (2008)
In the 1980s, a drummer is abandoned by his band just before they become rock superstars. Twenty years later, the drummer sees his second chance at stardom arise when he is asked to perform with his teenage nephew's high school rock band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZiegfeld Follies (1945)
The late, great impresario Florenz Ziegfeld looks down from heaven and ordains a new revue in his grand old style.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFun with Dick and Jane (1977)
When an upwardly mobile couple find themselves unemployed and in debt, they turn to armed robbery in desperation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like What a Life?
The closest matches to What a Life are A Song Is Born (1948), Animal Crackers (1930) and The Big Store (1941). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after What a Life?
Start with A Song Is Born (1948), the closest match to What a Life.
What is the highest-rated movie like What a Life?
A Day at the Races (1937), rated 7.1/10 by 244 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like What a Life?
John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (2019) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like What a Life?
Yes: A Song Is Born (1948), Animal Crackers (1930) and The Big Store (1941).
How are movies similar to What a Life chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside What a Life, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.