Movies like Instant Family (2018)
The best movies like Instant Family (2018) are Fatherhood (2021), Instructions Not Included (2013) and The Breadwinner (2026). If Instant Family hooked you with its comedy and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGifted (2017)8.0/10 from 6,133 votes
- NewestThe Breadwinner (2026)Released 2026
Fatherhood (2021)
A widowed new dad copes with doubts, fears, heartache and dirty diapers as he sets out to raise his daughter on his own. Inspired by a true story.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInstructions Not Included (2013)
Valentin is Acapulco's resident playboy, until a former fling leaves a baby on his doorstep and him heading with her out of Mexico.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Breadwinner (2026)
After his wife Katie lands a once-in-a-lifetime deal on Shark Tank that takes her on a prolonged business trip - lifelong breadwinner Nate Wilcox now has to fend for his family as a first-time stay-at-home dad.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Way Way Back (2013)
Shy 14-year-old Duncan goes on summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the Water Wizz water park.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUncle Buck (1989)
Buck Russell, a lovable but slovenly bachelor, suddenly becomes the temporary caretaker of his nephew and nieces after a family emergency. His freewheeling attitude soon causes tension with his older niece Tia, loyal girlfriend Chanice, and just about everyone else who crosses his path.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEzra (2024)
Stand-up comedian Max Bernal lives with his father Stan while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra with his ex-wife. When forced to confront difficult decisions about their son's future, Max and Ezra embark on a cross-country road trip that has a transcendent impact on both their lives.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYES DAY (2021)
A mom and dad who usually say no decide to say yes to their kids' wildest requests — with a few ground rules — on a whirlwind day of fun and adventure.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMartian Child (2007)
A recently-widowed science fiction writer considers whether to adopt a hyper-imaginative 6-year-old abandoned and socially-rejected boy who says he's really from Mars.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Mom (1983)
Jack and Caroline are a couple making a decent living when Jack suddenly loses his job. They agree that he should stay at home and look after the house while Caroline works. It's just that he's never done it before, and really doesn't have a clue...
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGifted (2017)
Frank, a single man raising his child prodigy niece Mary, is drawn into a custody battle with his mother.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Loving but irresponsible dad Daniel Hillard, estranged from his exasperated spouse, is crushed by a court order allowing only weekly visits with his kids. When Daniel learns his ex needs a housekeeper, he gets the job -- disguised as a British nanny. Soon he becomes not only his children's best pal but the kind of parent he should have been from the start.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLittle Miss Sunshine (2006)
A family loaded with quirky, colorful characters piles into an old van and road trips to California for little Olive to compete in a beauty pageant.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCheaper by the Dozen (2003)
The Baker brood moves to Chicago after patriarch Tom gets a job coaching football at Northwestern University, forcing his writer wife, Kate, and the couple's 12 children to make a major adjustment. The transition works well until work demands pull the parents away from home, leaving the kids bored -- and increasingly mischievous.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaddy's Home (2015)
The story of a mild-mannered radio executive who strives to become the best stepdad ever to his wife's two children, but complications ensue when their freewheeling, freeloading real father arrives, forcing stepdad to compete for the affection of the kids.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBig Daddy (1999)
A lazy law school grad adopts a kid to impress his girlfriend, but everything doesn't go as planned. Now he's forced to grow up while navigating the challenges of fatherhood.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hollars (2016)
Aspiring New York City artist John Hollar returns to his Middle America hometown on the eve of his mother’s brain surgery. Joined by his girlfriend Rebecca, eight months pregnant with their first child, John is forced to navigate the crazy world he left behind.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaptain Fantastic (2016)
Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, beginning a journey that challenges his idea of what it means to be a parent.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNutcrackers (2024)
Just as Mike is on the heels of closing the biggest deal of his career, he's pulled away from his bachelor life in the big city to a farm in rural Ohio in order to help his recently orphaned nephews find a new home.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisCheaper by the Dozen (2022)
This remake of the beloved classic follows the raucous exploits of a blended family of 12, the Bakers, as they navigate a hectic home life while simultaneously managing their family business.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParenthood (1989)
The story of the Buckman family and friends, attempting to bring up their children. They suffer/enjoy all the events that occur: estranged relatives, the 'black sheep' of the family, the eccentrics, the skeletons in the closet, and the rebellious teenagers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParental Guidance (2012)
Artie and Diane agree to look after their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents need to leave town for work. Problems arise when the kids' 21st-century behavior collides with Artie and Diane's old-school methods.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAn American Pickle (2020)
An immigrant worker at a pickle factory is accidentally preserved for 100 years and wakes up in modern day Brooklyn. He learns his only surviving relative is his great grandson, a computer coder who he can’t connect with.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)
A down-on-his-luck crab fisherman embarks on a journey to get a young man with Down syndrome to a professional wrestling school in rural North Carolina and away from the retirement home where he’s lived for the past two and a half years.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Kids Are All Right (2010)
Two women, Nic and Jules, brought a son and daughter into the world through artificial insemination. When one of their children reaches age, both kids go behind their mothers' backs to meet with the donor. Life becomes so much more interesting when the father, two mothers and children start to become attached to each other.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFamily (2018)
Kate Stone is career-focused with a brash attitude that keeps relationships at an arm's length. When her estranged brother calls asking her to baby-sit her tween niece Maddie, Kate reluctantly agrees to help. But baby-sitting overnight unexpectedly turns into a week, and Kate's life spins into chaos. As Maddie reveals stories of being bullied and of wanting to run away and be a Juggalo, the two form a unique bond.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMad Families (2017)
Three families compete for a camping spot during a busy Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisFamily Weekend (2013)
A 16-year-old girl takes her parents hostage after they miss her big jump-roping competition.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDouble Dad (2021)
While her mom is away, a teen sneaks out of the hippie commune where she lives and embarks on a life-changing adventure to discover who her father is.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTulsa (2020)
A desperate marine biker’s life is turned upside-down when he is united with the sassy 9-year-old daughter he never knew existed.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Nonnas (2025)
After losing his beloved mother, a man risks everything to honor her by opening an Italian restaurant with actual nonnas — grandmothers — as the chefs.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Instant Family?
The closest matches to Instant Family are Fatherhood (2021), Instructions Not Included (2013) and The Breadwinner (2026). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Instant Family?
People who watched Instant Family most often go on to Fatherhood (2021), Instructions Not Included (2013) and The Breadwinner (2026).
What is the highest-rated movie like Instant Family?
Gifted (2017), rated 8.0/10 by 6,133 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Instant Family?
The Breadwinner (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Instant Family?
Yes: Fatherhood (2021), The Breadwinner (2026) and The Way Way Back (2013).
How are movies similar to Instant Family chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Instant Family, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.