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Movies like The Temporary Widow (1930)

The best movies like The Temporary Widow (1930) are Another Thin Man (1939), The Thin Man Goes Home (1944) and Shadow of the Thin Man (1941). If The Temporary Widow hooked you with its comedy and mystery, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Another Thin Man (1939)

    Nick and Nora Charles are back - and this time, they have a baby, a wealthy new client, and another murder to solve! Retired detective Nick is enjoying family life with Nora and their young son, Nick Jr., when eccentric industrialist Colonel MacFay asks for protection after receiving threatening messages. When MacFay is found dead at his isolated estate, Nick and Nora spring into action, questioning a houseful of suspicious guests and uncovering greed, blackmail, family secrets, and a dangerous inheritance plot. With their trademark wit and sophistication, the glamorous couple balances parenthood, parties, and peril as they race to expose the killer.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery

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  2. The Thin Man Goes Home (1944)

    Hoping for a peaceful visit with his parents in the small town of Sycamore Springs, Nick Charles and his wife Nora soon find themselves surrounded by old rivalries, family tensions, and a mysterious murder. Nick’s father, a respected retired doctor, would much rather see his son give up detective work, but a suspicious shooting quickly draws Nick back into action. As Nick and Nora investigate, they uncover jealousy, deception, hidden motives, and a dangerous secret involving the town’s prominent citizens.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  3. Shadow 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 & mystery

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  4. Song of the Thin Man (1947)

    While attending a glamorous jazz cruise on New York’s East River, Nick and Nora Charles witness the fatal shooting of a wealthy patron. When suspicion falls on a young bandleader and his musicians, the couple steps in to clear their friends and uncover the real killer. Their investigation leads through a lively world of jazz clubs, radio personalities, high society, and backstage rivalries, where almost everyone has a secret and the next clue may be hidden in the music.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery

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  5. The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990)

    To the Los Angeles elite, Ford Fairlane is known as "Mr. Rock 'n' Roll Detective." This loudmouthed ladies' man serves an exclusive rock star clientele, who depend on his keen eye and smug discretion. So when a heavy-metal musician dies mid-concert, Fairlane is on the case before the lights come up. But things turn shocking when radio personality Johnny Crunch hires Fairlane to find a missing groupie mere hours before he is electrocuted live on air.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery

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  6. A Shot in the Dark (1964)

    Inspector Jacques Clouseau, smitten with the accused maid Maria Gambrelli, unwittingly turns a straightforward murder investigation into a comedic series of mishaps, testing the patience of his irritable boss Charles Dreyfus as casualties mount.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  7. The Thin Man (1934)

    Former detective Nick Charles has retired from police work, preferring a life of cocktails, parties, and relaxation with his wealthy wife, Nora. Their holiday is interrupted when the daughter of Nick’s former client asks for help finding her missing father, eccentric inventor Clyde Wynant. When Wynant’s body is discovered, Nick is drawn back into the investigation, with Nora eagerly joining him. As the couple questions Wynant’s family, friends, and business associates, a tangled web of greed, deception, and murder begins to unravel.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  8. Breathless (2012)

    Lorna is a strong-willed Texas woman who’s had enough of her untrustworthy husband Dale’s criminal acts and lack of husbandry. Fed up, she enlists the help of her old friend, Tiny, to help her figure out what to do with Dale after his latest double-cross involving the theft of $100,000 from a bank.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery

  9. The 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 & mystery

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  10. Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

    A middle-aged couple suspects foul play when their neighbor's wife suddenly drops dead.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  11. The Cheap Detective (1978)

    A spoof of the entire 1940s detective genre. San Francisco private detective, Lou Pekinpaugh is accused of murdering his partner at the instigation of his mistress—his partner's wife.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. Ca$h (2010)

    A stroke of good luck turns lethal for Sam Phelan and his wife Leslie when they are faced with a life-changing decision that brings strange and sinister Pyke Kubic to their doorstep. As Pyke leads Sam and Leslie on a tumultuous adventure through the streets of Chicago, each are pulled deeper and deeper into a desperate spiral of deception and violence – all in the name of money.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery

  13. Flypaper (2011)

    A man caught in the middle of two simultaneous robberies at a bank desperately tries to protect the teller with whom he's secretly in love.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & comedy

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  14. The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case (1930)

    The boys think their days of fishing to feed themselves have come to an end, when Stan's rich uncle Ebenezer dies leaving a large estate. But they soon learn that Ebenezer was murdered and all the relatives, including Stan, are suspects.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. One Night at McCool's (2001)

    On an ordinary night, in an ordinary part of town, a beautiful young woman walks into a bar. Her name is Jewel, and before long she is chatting to bartender Randy. The pair leave together, but he ends up getting into a tussle with her criminal boyfriend, who she then shoots dead, later persuading Randy to take the rap for her. But this isn't the end of it, as both Randy's cousin Carl and the detective assigned to the murder case also fall for Jewel's charms and find themselves caught up in the ensuing events. It seems that any man who meets Jewel falls instantly in love with her, and she's going to use this fully to her own advantage, leaving a trail of havoc in her wake. It also seems that she is going to get away with it - that is, until Randy decides to hire a hitman...

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

  16. The Glass Key (1942)

    A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer (2025)

    A struggling writer in the midst of a divorce befriends a retired serial killer who incidentally becomes his marriage counselor by day, and killing counselor for his next book by night.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

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  18. The 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

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  19. The Blue Gardenia (1953)

    Upon waking up to the news that the man she’d gone on a date with the previous night has been murdered, a young woman with only a faint memory of the night’s events begins to suspect that she murdered him while attempting to resist his advances.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. The Mirror Crack'd (1980)

    Jane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like The Temporary Widow and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Temporary Widow?

The closest matches to The Temporary Widow are Another Thin Man (1939), The Thin Man Goes Home (1944) and Shadow of the Thin Man (1941). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Temporary Widow?

Start with Another Thin Man (1939), the closest match to The Temporary Widow.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Temporary Widow?

The Thin Man (1934), rated 7.5/10 by 568 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Temporary Widow?

The Thursday Murder Club (2025) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like The Temporary Widow?

Yes: Another Thin Man (1939), The Thin Man Goes Home (1944) and Shadow of the Thin Man (1941).

How are movies similar to The Temporary Widow chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Temporary Widow, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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