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Movies like Under the Rainbow (1981)

The best movies like Under the Rainbow (1981) are Top Secret! (1984), The Three Stooges (2012) and Buddy Buddy (1981). If Under the Rainbow hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Top Secret! (1984)

    Popular and dashing American singer Nick Rivers travels to East Germany to perform in a music festival. When he loses his heart to the gorgeous Hillary Flammond, he finds himself caught up in an underground resistance movement. Rivers joins forces with Agent Cedric and Flammond to attempt the rescue of her father, Dr. Paul, from the Germans, who have captured the scientist in hopes of coercing him into building a new naval mine.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  2. The Three Stooges (2012)

    Left on the doorstep of an orphanage run by nuns, three newborn knuckleheads grow up to be finger-poking, nyuk-nyuking janitors named Larry, Curly and Moe. When they learn that financial problems will soon force the only home they've ever known to close, the trio sets out to raise $830,000 in one month. Out in the world for the very first time, the three innocent bumblers become embroiled in a murder plot and find stardom on a TV reality show.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

  3. Buddy Buddy (1981)

    During a high-profile Mafia testimony case in Riverside County, a hired killer checks into a hotel room near the courthouse, while his depressed neighbor contemplates suicide over marital problems.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

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  4. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

    When the bumbling Lieutenant Frank Drebin investigates events following the shooting of his partner, he stumbles upon an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  5. Johnny English Strikes Again (2018)

    Disaster strikes when a criminal mastermind reveals the identities of all active undercover agents in Britain. The secret service can now rely on only one man - Johnny English. Currently teaching at a minor prep school, Johnny springs back into action to find the mysterious hacker. For this mission to succeed, he’ll need all of his skills - what few he has - as the man with yesterday’s analogue methods faces off against tomorrow’s digital technology.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

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  6. The Late Show (1977)

    An over-the-hill gumshoe in Los Angeles seeks to avenge the killing of an old pal, another detective who was involved in a case concerning a murdered broad, stolen stamps, a nickel-plated handgun, a cheating dolly, and a kidnapped pussycat.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

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  7. You're Never Too Young (1955)

    When an aspiring barber becomes inadvertently involved in the theft of a valuable diamond, necessity forces him to masquerade as a 12 year-old child - with humorous consequences.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

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  8. National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 (1993)

    An LA detective is murdered because she has microfilm with the recipe to make cocaine cookies. Two cops partner to find and stop the fiends before they can dope the nation by distributing their wares via the 'Wilderness Girls' cookie drive.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. The Brothers Grimm (2005)

    Folklore collectors and con artists, Jake and Will Grimm, travel from village to village pretending to protect townsfolk from enchanted creatures and performing exorcisms. However, they are put to the test when they encounter a real magical curse in a haunted forest with real magical beings, requiring genuine courage.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

  10. Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie (2004)

    While Ron Burgundy's rivalry with Veronica Corningstone escalates quickly, a group of unprofessional thieves better known as 'The Alarm Clock' try to make the truth known, whatever that may mean...

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

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  11. The Silencers (1966)

    Matt Helm is called out of retirement to stop the evil Big O organization who plan to explode an atomic bomb over Alamagordo, NM, and start WW III.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

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  12. Dragnet (1987)

    LAPD Sgt. Joe Friday -- the equally straight-laced nephew of the famous police sergeant of the same name -- is paired up with a young, freewheeling detective named Pep Streebeck. After investigating some strange robberies at the local zoo and the theft of a stockpile of pornographic magazines, they uncover cult activity in the heart of the city and are hot on the case to figure out who's behind it all.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. Love and Monsters (2020)

    Seven years since the Monsterpocalypse began, Joel Dawson has been living underground in order to survive. But after reconnecting over radio with his high school girlfriend Aimee, Joel decides to venture out to reunite with her, despite all the dangerous monsters that stand in his way.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. Crocodile Dundee (1986)

    When a New York reporter plucks crocodile hunter Mick Dundee from the Australian Outback for a visit to the Big Apple, it's a clash of cultures and a recipe for good-natured comedy as naïve Dundee negotiates the concrete jungle. He proves that his instincts are quite useful in the city and adeptly handles everything from wily muggers to high-society snoots without breaking a sweat.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. Ladyhawke (1985)

    Captain Etienne Navarre is a man on whose shoulders lies a cruel curse. Punished for loving each other, Navarre must become a wolf by night whilst his lover, Lady Isabeau, takes the form of a hawk by day. Together, with the thief Philippe Gaston, they must try to overthrow the corrupt Bishop and in doing so break the spell.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. 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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Fletch (1985)

    When investigative reporter Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher goes undercover to write a piece on the drug trade at a local beach, he's approached by wealthy businessman Alan Stanwyk, who offers him $50,000 to murder him. With sarcastic wit and a knack for disguises, Fletch sets out to uncover Stanwyk's story.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

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  18. Major Payne (1995)

    Major Benson Winifred Payne is being discharged from the Marines. Payne is a killin' machine, but the wars of the world are no longer fought on the battlefield. A career Marine, he has no idea what to do as a civilian, so his commander finds him a job - commanding officer of a local school's JROTC program, a bunch of ragtag losers with no hope.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Shanghai Noon (2000)

    Chon Wang, a clumsy imperial guard, trails Princess Pei Pei when she's kidnapped from the Forbidden City and transported to America. Wang follows her captors to Nevada, where he teams up with an unlikely partner, outcast outlaw Roy O'Bannon, and tries to spring the princess from her imprisonment.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)

    Summoned from an ashram in Tibet, Ace finds himself on a perilous journey into the jungles of Africa to find Shikaka, the missing sacred animal of the friendly Wachati tribe. He must accomplish this before the wedding of the Wachati's Princess to the prince of the warrior Wachootoos. If Ace fails, the result will be a vicious tribal war.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  21. The Graveyard Feeder (2013)

    Cemetery caretaker Burke Sawyer and his deceased father, Pop Sawyer, team up to investigate a creature feeding on the dead underground.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy

  22. Because I Said So (2007)

    In an effort to prevent family history from repeating itself, meddlesome mom Daphne Wilder attempts to set up her youngest daughter, Milly, with Mr. Right. Meanwhile, her other daughters try to keep their mom's good intentions under control.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy

  23. Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)

    Mr. Bean wins a trip to Cannes where he unwittingly separates a young boy from his father and must help the two reunite. On the way he discovers France, bicycling and true love, among other things.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  24. Bean (1997)

    Childlike Englishman, Mr. Bean, is an incompetent watchman at the Royal National Gallery. After the museum's board of directors' attempt to have him fired is blocked by the chairman, who has taken a liking to Bean, they send him to Los Angeles to act as their ambassador for the unveiling of a historic painting to humiliate him. Fooled, Mr. Bean must now successfully unveil the painting or risk his and a hapless Los Angeles curator's termination.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  25. The Holiday (2006)

    Two women, one American and one British, swap homes at Christmastime following bad breakups. Each woman finds romance with a local man but realizes that the imminent return home may end the relationship.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  26. Could This Be Love? (2007)

    Lucas, a wealthy, 43 year-old divorced businessman, is irresistibly attracted to Elsa, a 38 year old renowned sculptor from whom he has commissioned a piece to decorate the reception at his office.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy

  27. Young Love (1987)

    While his parents are on holiday, Huey and his buddies borrow their car and go out. After pursuing a gang of girls, Huey crashes the car, and discovering that the repairs will cost a small fortune, the boys must get jobs to pay for the repairs before Huey's parents get home. The boys all land jobs as porters in the Beachfront Hotel, where their minds are taken off their problems by girls!!

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy

  28. After the Sunset (2004)

    An FBI agent is suspicious of two master thieves, quietly enjoying their retirement near what may - or may not - be the biggest score of their careers.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy

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  29. Friday (1995)

    Craig and Smokey are two guys in Los Angeles hanging out on their porch on a Friday afternoon, smoking and drinking, looking for something to do.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  30. Bringing Down the House (2003)

    Uptight lawyer Peter Sanderson wants to dive back into dating after his divorce and has a hard time meeting the right women. He tries online dating and lucks out when he starts chatting with a fellow lawyer. The two agree to meet in the flesh, but the woman he meets — an escaped African-American convict named Charlene — is not what he expected. Peter is freaked out, but Charlene tries to convince him to take her case and prove her innocence. Along the way, she wreaks havoc on his middle-class life as he gets a lesson in learning to lighten up.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy

Like Under the Rainbow and something else?

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

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Under the Rainbow?

The closest matches to Under the Rainbow are Top Secret! (1984), The Three Stooges (2012) and Buddy Buddy (1981). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Under the Rainbow?

Start with Top Secret! (1984), the closest match to Under the Rainbow.

What is the highest-rated movie like Under the Rainbow?

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), rated 7.3/10 by 4,769 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Under the Rainbow?

Love and Monsters (2020) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like Under the Rainbow?

Yes: Top Secret! (1984), The Three Stooges (2012) and Buddy Buddy (1981).

How are movies similar to Under the Rainbow chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Under the Rainbow, 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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